Chronicles of Absolution: There a Hunter in the House?
by Kirabaros
Summary: 4.10. It's a convention and the Winchesters and Co. have been invited. Turns out there is a little more than what is expected as the trio finds out that there is more to the place than meets the eye. Try solving a case when you have fifteen others thinking that they can too.
1. Chapter 1

**Chronicles of Absolution: There a Hunter in the House?**

**Chapter 1**

_Then_

… Lewis smiled and then tentatively pet Sasha. "Well um Shadow Chasers seems to be more realistic in their female characters," he replied with a slight agreeing nod, "And Katrina is not the kind to take things lying down."

"No she isn't," Angela replied with a slight smile…

… What about cold spots? Feel any sudden drops in temperature?"

Angela raised her brow the minute the cashier had the light bulb go off in his head as he said, "I knew it. You guys are LARPing, aren't you?"

She blinked at that. She was well aware what the term meant and had been treated once to a lecture on the difference between reenactment and live action role play. She put a hand to her mouth since at the moment it was completely funny that the guy thought that they weren't being serious. It was a whole different picture when the cashier started commenting on Sam and Dean's appearance and how hard core they were like some characters in a book…

… "We're gonna need all the copies of _Supernatural_ you got."

… She spotted the books on the bed and picked up the first one. "_Supernatural _by Carver Edlund," she read and flipped the book over.

… "Interesting?" Dean looked up at Angela who was looking at one book and then the other. He had no idea what she was doing. "Everything is in here. I mean everything. From the racist truck to me having sex... I'm full-frontal in here, dude."

"And that's nothing compared to some thirteenth century porn. Lot more imagination there," Angela murmured. "Some porn is even older than that. The tapestry work is nice."

… "They're pretty obscure. Had almost zero circulation. Uh... started in '05, publisher put out a couple dozen before going bankrupt. And the last one, 'No Rest for the Wicked', ends with you going to Hell."

… Dean read and frowned as he read one post, "Some of these people think you're a guy? What the hell?"

"'Absolution is nothing more than a plot element to offset the emotional issues between Sam and Dean and basically is downright unnecessary.' That is crap."

"'Absolution is the faceless beauty that encompasses the true meaning of beauty with selfless compassion and grace.' Nice and I couldn't have said it better myself."

… She had curled up during the night and was pressed against his body. It was a sort of fetal position but it was comfortable much like the other times. She even grabbed his shirt sleeve when he tried to move and she was still asleep…

… Opening the door and using it as a cover for most of his body, Sam peered around it to find a blonde haired girl looking at him like she had seen a ghost so to speak. She started gasping like she was losing air and Sam asked, "You okay lady?"

… The next thing Sam knew the strange lady's hand was on his chest and she was feeling him up and grinning like Cheshire cat.

"And you're so firm."

"Uh… Do I know you?" Sam looked at her puzzled unaware that Angela was on her feet and looking at the situation with a peculiar expression that Dean recognized clearly for what it was.

"No but I know you," the woman replied. She was getting excited as she continued, "You're Sam Winchester and you're…" She looked at Dean sitting on the bed and frowned as she finished, "Not what I pictured."

… "Why the hell are you so amused?"

Angela was trying hard not to laugh at Dean's incredulous face. She had been trying ever since they packed up and headed to look for the publisher that published the books to get information on the author behind the pen name Carver Edlund. She just couldn't help it since the whole thing was funny to her. She tried to keep a straight face as she replied, "Because it is rather funny."

… Sam for his part cleared his throat at that. "So it doesn't bother you at all that you're mentioned either?"

"No," Angela replied with a slight smile. At the look the boys were giving her, she pulled out the graphic novel she had bought and held it out. "Here, look at that."

Dean took the proffered book and looked at it. He looked at Angela like she was crazy but he received a look of encouragement. He held it up for Sam to see as they scrolled through the pages. The realization of what they were looking at dawned on them. It was Dean who made the first comment, "This is about you?"

… If they had the time she would show him the Shadow Chaser fan site and what _they_ came up with. It was enough to make her hysterical in between all the fighting and everything else…

… "But the part especially that mentioned Absolution and Dean just looking at each other with understanding… oh it only proves that Absolution is not a literary device but a real character."

… The publisher was protesting at giving the information on Carver Edlund and babbling something about him being very private. It was an initiative on Sam's part when he insisted that they were really big fans and revealed the tattoo that Angela had given him. Dean followed suit and even though she didn't have one like theirs, she went with it figuring there was no harm. She turned around and shrugged off her jacket and pulled her sleeve down to reveal her tattoo. The reaction was hardly one she expected.

"Awesome but… Oh my God!" The publisher looked like she had seen something beyond her wildest dreams or something. "You actually got it right."

Angela looked at Sam and Dean and they were clueless until the publisher came up and actually touched her tattoo. She raised her brow but didn't react except to say, "Um… I got what right?"

"The tattoo of Absolution," the publisher exclaimed. "You know most people have tried but could never figure out the design even though it is embedded in the books." She traced the pattern and the sigils.

"Fancy that," Angela said as she looked at Sam and Dean, "Must have been a subconscious thing that I picked up on."

The publisher backed away clearly excited that she had met three fans of the books. She couldn't help but say, "You know what? I got one too," and proceeded to show them where she had her anti-possession tattoo located.

Sam and Dean stared and Dean commented on her being a fan. Yet when they looked at Angela, she was just looking and she verbally agreed, "You really are a fan, sister."

… Chuck couldn't help but give a slight chuckle. So now _that_ part made sense. When he wrote the books and introduced Absolution, the character was always the more stoic of the three. Sam and Dean would defer to Absolution for major decisions… It made him wonder if such a character could really have a life and possibly laugh. He did see the fan sites and found that the fans thought Absolution would be more flushed out or should be…

… That seemed to work as Chuck calmed down. He still was a bit scared of her but it wasn't to the point where he wasn't going to faint again. Finally he said, "This is definitely not real. People just don't pop out and you died nearly five hundred years ago. This is…" He looked at Sam and Dean and said, "And I made up Sam and Dean…"

Angela looked at the boys and gave a slight shrug, "Well, at least that's better than before." She then looked at Chuck and replied, "Well I can tell you that I died about four hundred years ago and was brought back to life and since then there were other times I've been dead or near dead."

"And let me guess you see Death now," Chuck countered. He rubbed his head trying to clear the cobwebs and confusion.

Angela made a slight face and nodded, "That is a given."

"Okay this is really nice," Chuck deadpanned, "You really went to town on this."

… "Because Chuck, we live it. We know them. We are telling the truth. This is Sam and Dean Winchester and the reason that you are freaked out and saying that I am supposed to be dead is because I _am_ over five hundred years old and technically should be dead. I _am_ Absolution."

"I never wrote that in any of the books."

… I'm Becky. I've read all about you guys and I never believed that you Absolution were a literary device. You're exactly like I pictured though… you look like you've been through hell…"

"Actually I have," Angela murmured still studying Becky. All traces of sleep were gone. She was wide awake and ready to go.

Becky was still rambling, "And I've even written a few…" She stopped herself and chuckled a little with three pairs of eyes watching her. "Anyway, Mr. Edlund told me where you were."

… "No." Chuck turned to face the Winchesters and explained, "He, like, exploded, like a water balloon of Chunky soup." He then looked at the Winchesters with alarm, "Don't tell Angie. I really don't want a visit from the virago of hell."

… Angela needed a walk. It wasn't a need for a supply run but a need to blow off steam. She wanted to get rid of the feeling that she wanted to chuck Becky out of the window and into a lake and that was the least violent of possibilities. One included ripping her arms off and that was because they touched Sam. It bothered her and she knew it amused Dean…

… "You too Angie. Maybe you can take the plunge." Jo made a gesture with her head and eyes towards Sam where he and Dean were waiting to hit the road. She gave a knowing smile at Angela and noted the slight flush of her cheeks…

… "Then you had Ares put me on the trail of the kid by being a pain in the ass about my talent of sniffing out the supernatural."

… Before she could say anything more, she was startled by Sam leaning forward and pressing his lips to hers in a kiss. Her eyes widened in surprise and her headache was forgotten. It was quick but full of emotion and lingered when he pulled back saying, "Don't do that again."

… "And I said I care about you. If you need help, let us know. Let me know." Sam would have said more but held back…

… "I don't want this to be a fight or anything like that. I just… It doesn't bother me Angie. That you need it on occasion. It's a part of you and it doesn't make me care about you any less."

… "I understand and… I'm glad that you waited. After everything that has happened… You always find a way."

Sam wanted to ask what she meant by that but refrained from it. As much as he wanted to keep going, even he knew that there were limits. He didn't need her feeling uncomfortable. Instead he asked, "Take a walk?"

"I'd like that."

_Now_

"This is getting old."

"Come on. It's not like we're diseased or something."

Angela gave a glare that was worthy of leveling mountains if that were possible. She was not amused. She crossed her arms over her chest and looked at Dean, not buying what he was saying. She shifted on her feet, glad to be free of the monstrosity that irritated her beyond reproach and gave off the impression that she wasn't above putting Dean over her knee and giving a spanking.

Dean knew that he had annoyed her. "Old habits, Angie," he gave. "Out of necessity and…" He shrugged his shoulders.

Angela sighed and shook her head, her expression relaxing. He wasn't lying about that and in all honesty she didn't blame either brother. Hell they gave her a Thanksgiving dinner not too long ago and she had a couple of laughs at their expense… especially Castiel. "Alright, but this is the last time," she gave with a gentle wave of dismissal. "No more unless it seriously warrants it."

Dean grinned endearingly at her, "Knew you'd come around. Besides I always like having company with beautiful women."

Angela couldn't resist the smirk that changed into a chuckle. She glanced at Sam who looked relieved that she wasn't going to make a fuss. It was pretty much her first chance of complete freedom of movement and the 'old habits' became annoying. So she really couldn't be too mad that Dean got one room with two beds with the expectancy that she was sharing a bed with one of them. She decided to tease him, "Really? Well when you put it that way, I think it's your turn to be the snuggle bunny."

Sam couldn't help but laugh at the expression that crossed his brother's face. It was always fun when his brother's jokes, innuendos… whatever… backfired on him. He understood where she was coming from and it was not really a good idea to assume when it came to her. The easiest solution would have been for her to go and request a separate room but she liked to make her point clear and this was it. He wouldn't have minded sharing a bed again; like she said, they had shared floor space before. And he pretty much saw that she was not going to treat him like a leper for starting the Apocalypse; she really meant it when she said that didn't matter.

Seeing her be pretty much her normal self was a reward in Sam's view and he had entertainment even if it was at his brother's expense. He was enjoying it immensely until his phone buzzed letting him know there was a text. He pulled it out and started reading, surprised at who it was from.

In the meantime Dean was trying hard to come up with a rejoinder to the seductive manner that Angela used when she said it was his turn to be the snuggle bunny. "Hey… you know it's not like that."

"You're the one who insists on flirting with me. Now you're telling me that I'm ugly."

"Come on Angie."

Angela grinned as she eased forward, much like a predator would. "What's wrong Dean?"

Dean knew that he started it and she was paying him back in his own coin and heavy handed with it. He leaned back when she leaned forward with that look that was like the cat caught the canary. "Only thing wrong is you," he spat, "Just going with old habits. I'm sorry."

Angela looked at Dean. For a moment it looked like she was going to jump on him and in front of Sam. She then changed her expression to a genuine smile and replied, "You're forgiven." She leaned forward and planted a kiss on his cheek. "You're so easy."

Dean scowled at that since he knew he had been had. His girl would never consider him since more or less she staked Sam as her own and that was before she knew it. He could say the same was in reverse since Sam was more visible. The scary thing was that she was that convincing when she was messing with him and he had to wonder what she did when she had to get close to the mofo she was hunting.

He couldn't stay mad for long since she did give him a kiss and it was more sisterly than what it would have been had it been Sam. He relaxed and replied, "Hey!"

"Told you to double team me."

"It's not fair since Sasquatch here is just watching." He gestured at Sam, expecting a comment. When he didn't get one, he looked to see his brother playing with his phone. "Sammy?"

Angela had her fun with Dean and had started to go through the bags. She stopped when she heard Dean ask his brother what was going on with one word. She turned to see Sam looking at his phone. Judging from the expression on Sam's face, it was serious and possibly a job.

"It's Chuck," Sam replied.

Angela came closer to peer over Sam's shoulder and read the message. Her eyes narrowed as she read it. "Life and death?"

"Wouldn't an archangel smite it?" Dean recalled what Castiel told them. He also remembered what happened since he just literally shoved Angela through the door. He glanced at Angela who was reading the text and thinking inwardly.

"True but… best not to take chances. Could be a Prophet thing," Angela replied. She turned to see the Winchesters looking at her. "I'm not his keeper guys."

"You sure?"

"You just shoved me through a door. It was natural instinct." Angela looked at Sam and Dean and added with a sigh, "Look, I didn't do anything like claim a guardianship over him. I was just in the area and I was pissed off with Lilith." She looked at Dean with a quick look hoping not to be forced out in terms of her personal feelings.

Dean caught the look and nodded slightly. He wouldn't rat her out. As long as things moved along he was okay with that. He looked at the message, "Well Chuck wouldn't send a text without good reason."

"Might as well check on him," Angela added. She was concerned since there were plenty of things out there that had an interest in a Prophet. That is if they knew about it.

It didn't take too long for them to get back in the Impala and head down the road. Somehow Angela managed to get back their money for the room though she wouldn't say how. The address that Chuck sent them meant that they were going to have to drive all night to get there since it was emphasized that it was a matter of life and death urgent.

"Keep it under a hundred. We don't need a ticket." Angela looked calmly ahead as she warned Dean. It was more to hide her anxiety on things.

"Quit backseat driving." It was old banter but Dean realized that he was a little more gruff than usual and was quiet after speaking.

Angela made a slight sound as she sat back and wrapped an arm around Cerebus who was looking a little homely and put out at being on the road. Part of the reason was that it was discovered that Lilah was in whelp and Bobby was inclined to blame her for bringing in another dog. And it didn't help that the grizzled hunter found the breeder charm that Jo gave her for her birthday. It was a good thing that no one could truly understand what Cerebus said when he spoke since it was clear that there was nothing to be done since he answered his mate's call.

As appeasement, they took Cerebus with them when they started out on the road again. It was okay since Cerebus was all hellhound and could get from one place to the other without much trouble. They were known for it and he would respond to his mate's call. She had no idea how that worked but it was a learning process since Sam pointed out that as long as she had that medallion, she was essentially in charge of them and apparently there was such a thing as breeders. There had to be since the Wilders were still bred and sent out to hunt.

She saw it and Cerebus saw it as a punishment but she tried to lessen the blow by asking him to be a defender of the pack. She asked him specifically to look after the alpha and the alpha's alpha. He perked up since she asked specifically in terms he would understand. He was willing and eager to prove that he was a good master of the pups and the prize hellhound of Hades. It didn't mean that he was completely a happy camper. So she was the one that soothed him and let him stay by her. Sam helped out and let the dog stay by him too and eventually Dean got on the train with that.

They drove through the night. It was tiring but the adrenaline was keeping them awake. As they got closer, Angela became quieter and more contemplative as she took in the surroundings; like she was going into battle. It was a little disquieting to Sam and Dean since she insisted that Chuck wasn't her charge. Sam was willing to believe that it was her nature taking over and she was doing what she could to not go full on virago before they even got there. He was just going to trust her in that she knew what she was doing. She never gave any less when it came to him or Dean doing something equally insane or disturbing.

The place was called the Pineview Hotel and it looked like one of those old hotels that had a history and was there for people to get away from it all. It seemed to be an odd place for Chuck to call them to but it was what they had. Dean pulled in with a slight screech and they were all out before the engine was completely off. Sam led the way followed by Angela with Cerebus on her heels and Dean was walking drag when he came to a stop, noticing three Impalas parked in a row, looking just like his baby. He was baffled by it though a small part of him appreciated the look.

"Dean," Angela said as she grasped his arm.

Dean was snapped out of his reverie and looked at Angela. Sam was looking impatient. She was more conveying that they had a job. And she was a little more touchy feely lately. He followed and together the three of them headed towards the front where they found Chuck pacing.

Angela immediately barked an order for Cerebus to search the perimeter. The dog took off running while they approached the prophet of the Lord. Sam said, "Chuck. There you are."

Angela noticed something was off when Chuck looked surprised to see them when he said more like a question, "Guys?" When his eyes lighted on her he added, "Oh. Not you too."

"Thank," Angela replied not really put out by that but gave the impression she was.

Dean gave a slight shake of his head and turned to Chuck, "What's going on?"

"Uh. Nothing. You know just… I'm just kind of hanging." Chuck frowned as he asked, "What are you guys doing here? Why did you bring… her?" He gestured at Angela.

"You told us to come," Dean replied.

"Uh. No I didn't."

"Yeah you did. You texted me. This address. 'Life of death situation'." Sam peered at Chuck. "Any of this ringing a bell?"

"I didn't send you a text," Chuck replied a little confused.

Angela frowned as she watched Chuck's reaction while Dean pointed out that they drove all night. She looked around to see Cerebus coming back trotting to her. Nothing. She sighed until it hit her. A familiar scent and she gave a low growl that increased the moment she heard that voice.

* * *

**A/N:** And here we are folks with a new episode and it looks like things are in for an exciting ride. Stay tuned for more There a Hunter in the House?...


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

"Sam? You made it."

Angela narrowed her eyes the moment she saw Becky, her throat producing a low growl. She didn't realize Dean was watching her having picked up the warning growl. He thought it was Cerebus and was ready to react but the dog was sitting and panting. It was then that he realized that it was coming from his girl and he knew that this was going to be… difficult. He knew Sam was possessive and what he was capable of but Angela was different. It was funny at first but Dean knew that the usual chick fight crap wouldn't apply.

Luckily Sam stepped in front, unaware that his posture signaled that it was okay to Angela that he could diffuse it. His attention was on Becky, focusing on being polite even though he was uncomfortable with the girl. "Oh uh… Becky. Right?"

_Of course it's right and I have an urge to rip her arms off for touching you._ Angela didn't move but her posture looked like someone ready to go on a hunt. She inwardly cringed hearing the fawning that Becky was giving over Sam, being too high pitched for her ears…

_The loner agitates the alpha. Shall I dispose of her?_

Angela knew that Cerebus would do anything to protect his pack including eliminating "threats" like Becky. She was _not_ that way though. She knew that it was a result of the _Supernatural_ books since she had plenty of fawning from super fans too. At least on a different scale and a few that made the connection between her and Katrina in _Shadow Chasers_. She could keep her cool and resist the urges that felt natural. She didn't like it. She patted Cerebus to let him know to stand down.

"You remembered my name. You've been thinking about me," Becky was saying.

Sam knew he was placed in an uncomfortable position. He barely remembered Becky and only did so because he was teased about it. His thoughts were on the Apocalypse, the next job and mostly… Angela. He had no idea what to say about that and glanced at Dean for inspiration and got nothing. His gaze lingered on Angela and was puzzled by the expression. "I… uh…"

"It's okay. I can't get you out of my head, either," Becky cut him off getting excited. She was smiling big at the fact that Sam was there. She brushed off Chuck's question about his phone by stating that she just borrowed it.

Angela crossed her arms over her chest maintaining the stern expression. She raised her brow at the whole exchange. In fact she was the only one that didn't look happy; everyone else was looking confused. She didn't know how else to keep her control since the last time she caught herself she was sniffing out Sam like a predator but in a different sort of way and…

Luckily no one, meaning Becky and Chuck, were noticing that. Becky was practically jumping saying, "They're gonna wanna see it."

"See what?" All three hunters asked at the same time making it seem like a fluke. And for the most part it was.

Becky did what Angela understood to be fan girling out when she said, "Oh my God. I love it when they talk at the same time and then Absolution talking with them. It makes them really like the team they are." She couldn't help but squeal her delight.

Angela put her hand to her forehead. This was not going to be a good day. She muttered more to herself, "Oh, boy." She knew what was going on and she knew that it was going to have Dean upset and she was going to go nuts if Becky came near Sam and…

"Hey Chuck. Come on pal. It's showtime."

"Shoot me now," Angela muttered as she rubbed her head while Chuck looked uncomfortable and replied, "Speak for yourself." He looked at the Winchesters and added, "Guys. I'm sorry. For everything."

Angela made a low groan as she rubbed her forehead while the Winchesters looked at their girl and each other. Angela would have liked to turn around and leave but with Becky there waiting so expectantly… She walked forward muttering, "I reserve the right to drink myself into a stupor later."

"You don't even get drunk," Dean replied as he followed her with Sam.

Sam shook his head and realized that Angela figured out something but she was not in a mood or she was getting a headache. He asked in a sotto voice, "You okay? Need anything?"

"Just a one on one session with a punching bag that will turn to leather and sawdust later," Angela replied as she walked through the main door. She gave a gentle smile, "I'm fine on that. Just… I think I know…"

"Ha-ha-ha. Hey, Dean. Looking good. Oh wow!"

Angela came to a complete stop when she caught a guy looking at her like he lost his voice. She blinked and peered at him asking, "Are you okay?"

"Great… Absolution," the guy said before taking himself and his beer off. He was grinning like all his Christmases had come at once.

"You know him?" Sam couldn't help but ask and didn't realize his tone had taken the tone of someone who was suspicious of a strange male making eyes at his girl.

"No," Angela replied slowly as she looked around with Dean who was frowning and asking the guy who he was. When Dean turned and his eyes widened in surprise and fear and then Sam did the same, she turned on her heel to see the ugliest, well not the ugliest but it ranked there, getup every. "What the…?"

"Uh-oh. It's Sam and Dean. I'm in trouble now," the guy in the scarecrow getup said. "Have fun you two." It was then that he noticed Angela and added, "You too sweetheart."

Angela knew harmless comments when she heard them. Hell she and Dean exchanged them al the time. He flirted with her because it didn't mean anything except their way of showing affection except when she made it appear serious and caught him off guard. She knew the guy was harmless but became aware that Sam probably wouldn't see it that way. Automatically, she reached back and gently grasped his wrist while looking around the place.

The setting was very familiar. She would know since she had been invited as a special guest of one of the panelists to one of these things. She could remember that day and how crazy it was. She was surprised she hadn't been bum rushed like she had seen other people. Some she attended for fun and to meet up with friends who succeeded in this world and for the most part, she blended in. That is until that one event where it was pretty evident that she was the girl in the story drawn down to the last detail.

As she looked around, she could see 'civilians' dressed as people that were familiar. She raised her brow when she spotted a girl dressed like Bobby and another like Ash. She even saw an attempt at an incarnation of Absolution. She could tell because they were toting a sword, or attempting to and they had the tattoo but in the wrong spot and wrong look. Plus it was a guy. That was awkward.

There were a few booths with merchandise. It ranged from the actual books to mugs with the Impala on it. She even saw one with an anti-possession tattoo on it. Games and something that she supposed was to be her emblem was on it. Oh yes. This was definitely one of those and she was definitely sure that she was going to need a drink, the hard stuff.

"Becky, what is this?"

Angela heard Sam's question as she continued to look around. She heard Becky's overly perky voice saying, "It's awesome. A Supernatural convention. The first ever."

Sam and Dean shared a look as they turned to look at the room. They saw people dressed as Bloody Mary, the killer clown, the Yellow Eyed demon… Dean raised his brows not sure of what to make of it. Sam wondered what hell they were put in and was only reassured by Angela holding onto his wrist. She had grabbed it when that scarecrow made a comment and anything he wanted to say, died down.

There was nothing to say as they walked further into the room to take a better look. They were lucky that no one noticed Cerebus and no one said a word anyway since he was well behaved and Angela had him on a leash. Plus there was no rule against having a dog. Angela didn't let go of Sam more because she was aware of the stares that she was getting from some of the people there. They were looking and whispering.

"Oh my God. It's you!"

Angela turned at the greeting and her eyes widened slightly at recognizing who it was. _Oh crap._ She ended up tightening her grip on Sam's wrist slightly while she shuffled on her feet and asked, "Do I know you?"

"Sure. We met in that comic book store. Lewis?"

Angela remembered him very well. She covered for her increased anxiety since she was certain she hadn't given any vibes off since she did tell him more or less that she was spoken for. "Right. We were talking about that graphic novel. Nice to see you Lewis." She released Sam's wrist and held out her hand for a shake.

"Thanks. Katrina," Lewis replied with a knowing look.

"Hey, her name is Angie," Dean cut in.

"No, she is Katrina. The badass in _Shadow Chasers_," Lewis replied. He pulled out the current one he was reading and opened it to where there was a full image of her. "See?"

"Oh boy," Angela muttered as she put a hand to her forehead. "I'm gonna kill Gil for that one."

Sam and Dean both knew that the graphic novel was based on Angela and her adventures with Akira. Sam figured that Angela was getting nervous because of that since she tightened her grip on his wrist. He noticed that she hadn't let go and let it be, enjoying her touch while just being there in case she needed him. Dean tried to make light of it and said, "Well it does look like you."

"Well you attended the con in Phoenix about five years ago as creator Gil Hobbs' guest. You haven't changed a bit. I realized it after you left the coffee shop and went back and… wow." Lewis looked like he was going to faint. "Seeing you here and as Absolution… wow."

Angela knew she had to say something. "I like to attend cons. I just don't publicize them much. So could you not… say anything?"

"Oh sure. No problem," Lewis replied. He held out his graphic novel, "Can you sign this?"

It was either refuse and be called a bitch or accept and then be teased mercilessly by Dean. She chose the lesser of two evils and accepted. Luckily she had a pen in her jacket pocket and pulled it out. She tried not to groan when he opened it to the full page of her and pointed at it. She gave a polite smile and wrote a slight endearment and signed it.

"Thank you." Lewis grinned before looking scared and added, "Oh and not a word."

"Thanks."

Once Lewis had gone, Dean couldn't resist, "First Sam and now you?"

"I'm gonna kill Gil," Angela replied. She sighed and looked at the boys. "Yes, laugh it up. It is me that is the hero of _Shadow Chasers_. I was hoping he wouldn't remember but looks like he did."

Dean thought it was funny that she was embarrassed since she laughed like a loon when they discovered the _Supernatural _books. "Don't feel too good don't it?"

"I was bum rushed in Phoenix," Angela countered. "It wasn't a pleasant experience and the cameras flashing didn't help." She tapped her eyes to indicate the retina flare that could occur. "Look, I don't advertise it because you know. And I get enough fawning from people who actually read the tomes about me as Absolution. Trust me I'd rather these people think that guy pretending to be me is the image of me."

"Hey calm down Angie," Dean said raising his hands to placate her. "I get it. I just find it funny that you have someone who thinks you're normal. You made his day." He gave one of his more endearing grins.

Angela couldn't help but grin back. "Alright. I think we're all even." She looked at the brothers and gave a slight smile. She looked around at the people milling around and making their way towards the auditorium. "Well… wanna take a look?"

* * *

"And at 4:30, there's The Homoerotic Subtext of _Supernatural_."

Angela couldn't help but stifle a chuckle at that knowing that Dean was looking like he wanted to murder someone. The reaction was funny but the subtext part was annoying. She knew where fans' minds went. She had seen the thoughts for _Shadow Chasers_ and the idea of her and Akira? That was just sick. She put a hand on Dean's shoulder to calm him down knowing that Sam was not pleased either with the way his arms were crossed. She murmured, "You should see what they say about me in _Shadow Chasers_. Crazy."

"At 5:15 we have The Absolution Mystery where any and all speculations on Absolution are discussed."

"Well at least they didn't leave you out," Dean whispered to Angela. "The faceless beauty," he quoted.

Angela hummed at the back of her throat remembering that conversation. "Well I am considered a literary device designed to offset yours and Sam's emotional issues and completely am not necessary," she replied more with a grin on face, amused and yet not amused since Becky was still around.

"And that's crap," Sam's voice entered on her left softly. He bent so he could whisper in her ear as gently as he could, taking care of her sensitive hearing. "Cause you're important. To us. To me."

Angela stared straight ahead, not sure how to take that. She shifted on her feet to hide her confusion and continued to listen to the announcement of a hunt that evening at 7pm. Oh great they were going to have a role play and she wasn't sure about the meaning behind Sam's comment. As she shifted, she bumped into Sam and hastily apologized while the attendees were laughing.

"Right now, I'd like to introduce the man himself. The creator and the writer of the _Supernatural_ books… the one, the only Carver Edlund."

Angela took the moment to step away, not seeing Sam's look of concern as she left the auditorium with Cerebus hot on her heels. She went to the lobby area and started pacing for a moment before finding a corner to hide and think.

_Is the alpha all right?_

Angela looked at Cerebus looking at her. She smiled and put a hand on his head and rubbed it. She kneeled and pressed her forehead to the dog's head. "I'm okay. Just a lot going on."

_The loner still bothers the alpha. The loner touched the alpha's alpha._

Angela knew that it was a jealousy spat she was going through and a bad one. She was trying to be polite and that nothing was wrong. The last thing she wanted to do was to create a scene that would probably get her sent to prison or worse, a Centurion hunter after her thinking she went crazy. "I know but… Sam's not my alpha."

_The beta's littermate is the alpha's alpha. He chose the alpha. The alpha chose him._

Angela rubbed the dog's head while trying to figure that one out. She fell in love with Sam and she loved him but… "Sometimes I wish I understood you."

_The alpha does understand. The alpha saved the master of pups from the pit beast. The alpha is alpha. Says pups are okay._

"Yeah since you and Jo gave me little choice. And I'm counting Lilah in this too. I'm in the doghouse with Bobby because of this."

_The elder barks much but appreciates the pack. The clawed one is also appreciated._

"And more likely because they are alike in personality," Angela deadpanned.

Cerebus harrumphed a little at that but pushed his body towards her asking for a scratch. Angela shook her head at that and obliged, taking the dogs ears and rubbing them at the base like he liked them. "I think life as a dog is easier than mine. I can't even control my emotions now. They are shot because Sam kissed me and then…"

_Your alpha is showing affection. Accept it._

"Easier said than done."

_Humans make things difficult._

Angela couldn't help but chuckle as she continued her self-therapy with Cerebus. She calmed down enough and was ready to go back in. She would just have to be polite and keep Cerebus close by. "Okay, boy. Just stay by me. Be a dog."

_As the alpha wishes._

They went back into the auditorium while they were still answering questions. Sam turned and gave a silent query and she whispered, "Phone call. Akira."

She didn't want to fib but she was not sure whether or not to divulge the real reason. She wasn't sure how Sam would take it that she was fighting against the urge to rip Becky's arms off and chucking her out of a five-story building and into a lake of fire. Dean would be amused by the whole thing since she had never shown a jealousy streak before, but he wouldn't say anything. He gave his word and kept it and for that she was grateful.

Sam accepted it, not fully convinced by the response. She had been unnerved when that Lewis kid approached her and asked her for an autograph. He actually didn't blame her for wanting to stay hidden from public view. She was a hunter, not a celebrity and yet she was though most people probably thought of her like they thought of him and Dean from the _Supernatural_ books. That she was just a character in a story. He would watch over her even though Cerebus was there. He didn't like her to feel uncomfortable.

Angela gave a slight smile and a nod. The urge to touch him was great but she refrained from it. She turned just in time to see Becky get growly with a guy Chuck addressed as Hook Man. She raised her brow at that knowing that there were extreme fans out there. She remembered Phoenix very well and that one panel…

"Yeah at the end of the last book, Dean goes to hell and Absolution is screaming in anger…"

"I don't think I was screaming," Angela frowned as she said that in response. It was easier to correct even if they didn't hear you. She had read the books and there was no mention of that.

"So what happens next?"

"Uh actually Absolution doesn't scream in anger but your question has an announcement, actually," Chuck was replying to the attendee. "You're all gonna find out."

That didn't sound good, at least to Sam and Dean. Angela noticed the change in their postures. They were on the same page as she was when she figured it out. She put a hand to her temple and began to rub it. She was feeling the beginnings of a headache again and she was probably going to need the strong stuff aka the painkillers she had refused to take while recuperating.

"Thanks to a wealthy Scandinavian investor, we're gonna start publishing again," Chuck replied and it was clear to Angela that he had seen their reactions. She was also starting to get a feel for the attendees in the room in terms of their scent. She could smell Chuck's nervousness rolling off him and she didn't blame him. When they first met, it was hardly a friendly hello and hi how are you. This was not going to go well at all.

The crowd began cheering at the announcement and it didn't take a genius to see that Sam and Dean were rather pissed at the whole thing. Angela sighed as she walked around trying to think of ways not to scare Chuck with an indignant response. She got it with the whole prophet of the Lord thing sort of and he did see Castiel get blown up so… yeah he was jittery. She was pacing when she noticed Sam and Dean walking towards Chuck and Dean looked like he was on the warpath.

It was automatic to go in and be the voice of reason. So she started forward when she was waylaid by a pair of guys that were dressed as Sam and Dean. The one dressed as Dean pointed at her to his partner and said, "See, that's Absolution."

Angela looked at them and the one dressed as Sam who appeared to be skinny and asked, "Uh… do I know you?"

"Well we're Sam and Dean. Duh," the one dressed as Dean replied. He looked at her and nodded, "You really got the details down good."

"Uh…"

"Oh right, the jacket, the belt and the eyes. Those aren't like the contacts," the one dressed as Sam said as he looked her over.

"Hey. Do you have…?" The one dressed as Dean made a gesture to indicate he meant a sword.

Angela left Absolution in the car since it would have been awkward to carry that around. At the time she thought that she could handle thins with her knife and chakram, which hung at her waist. She knew what they were asking and replied, "Oh. Couldn't find one that matched the book but I have this and this." She showed them the chakram and knife hoping that they would see that it was real and go away.

"Wow. Those look real."

"They are."

Instead of scaring them, they got excited about the whole thing. Angela thought she was going to witness a serious case of fan boy syndrome. The Sam attempted look alike said, "Wow. You really are hardcore. And you even have the scarf. Where'd you get it?"

"I made it."

"Cool," both exclaimed.

By then a small crowd was drawing near and other attendees were hanging onto every word Angela said about where she got her gear. Some were asking questions about what she thought about Absolution and her reasons why. She wondered when this attempt to appease a 'fellow fan' turned into a bull session panel discussion. At one point one dressed as Bobby asked, "So do ya have it?"

Angela frowned and asked, "Have what?"

"You know what. The mark of Absolution."

Angela looked at the crowd. They were there hanging onto every word and waiting. She had kept Cerebus close but told him not to do anything. His presence though left her room to get out. Seeing that they wouldn't be satisfied, she shrugged off her jacket and turned to reveal her tattoo. She barely managed to get away after that.

* * *

**A/N:** And we are at the first Supernatural convention and looks like it is a weird sort of hell for the Winchesters and Co. not to mention a little jealousy going on. Keep watching for more There a Hunter in the House?...


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

It was bad enough that their lives were crappy and crappy when they found out that their lives were a story for entertainment. To hear that more of their lives were going to be put on display, it was enough for Dean. After the opening panel, Chuck disappeared for a few hours and he and Sam spent their time looking for him, not noticing that Angela was by herself and then suddenly surrounded by a growing group of fans. He was only out for Chuck.

Sam was equally annoyed. It was bad enough that his choices were out there for people to read. It made it worse because Angela read them and she lived through with them. He also didn't like the fact that there were allusions to her even though it was the truth. She had enough with her life being lauded from tomes and tablets and then that _Shadow Chaser_ thing. He followed his brother's lead and tried not to encourage Becky once he realized that she was there with Chuck. Instead he focused on the conversation.

"In case you haven't noticed, our plates are kind of full, okay?" Dean hadn't meant to be gruff and he was concerned that Angela was going to show up and get all guardian on his ass. He continued though, "Finding the Colt. Hunting the devil. We don't have time for this crap."

Sam tried to keep his focus but it was a little bit different when a girl was staring at him and making him uncomfortable. He would rather have Angela give that stare that he hated than be… whatever it was called from Becky. He kept his attention on Chuck as the prophet protested, "Hey, I didn't call you. And I wouldn't have since Angie goes virago on anyone who messes with you whether imagined or not."

He had gestured generally at the Winchesters but was intending Sam. He had noticed the look that Angela shot at Becky earlier in the day and realized what was going on. He had seen what she could potentially do and he didn't want to be caught in the middle of something that could prove disastrous.

"He means the books, Chuck," Sam explained. He was trying to be the voice of reason but even his patience was a little thin. Out of the corner of his eye he noticed a crowd but he wasn't sure what was going on a pointedly ignored it.

"Why are you publishing more books?" Dean looked down at Chuck with a firm look.

"Um…" Chuck looked for an answer and wished that Angela was around. "For food and shelter?"

Dean leaned forward, all niceties gone. If he wanted to be nice, he would have found Angela and dragged her there. "Who gave you the rights to our life story?"

"An archangel," Chuck countered feeling like he was being bombarded. "And I didn't want it."

"Okay, well deal's off," Sam said making a gesture to indicate that it was final. "No more books. Our lives are not for public consumption. And neither is Angie's." He looked firmly at Chuck but became distinctly aware that he was being watched by Becky and it made him nervous about that. He turned his focus back to Chuck.

Chuck knew that this involved a discussion that would require some privacy. He wished that Becky hadn't taken his phone and started this mess but now he was in the middle of it and he had to deal with it. Looking at Becky, he said, "Becky, would you just excuse us for a second?"

Becky was more than willing and Chuck sighed before leading the Winchesters to an area where they could talk. They ended up passing a small crowd that had gathered and people were getting excited about something. He ignored it and tried to figure out how to put this so that it didn't earn him an ass kicking. He wondered how Angela was able to do it since she seemed to be a natural with this kind of thing and she wasn't scared of getting a punch to the face by a pissed off Winchester.

Finding a room that was essentially empty, Chuck began by asking, "Do you guys know what I do for a living?"

Whether it was a trick question or not, Sam obliged and answered, "Yeah Chuck. We know." He gave a pointed look at Chuck to indicate he wanted to know where the conversation was going.

Chuck turned to face Sam and Dean head on and asked, "Well could you tell me? Because I don't. I'm not a good writer. I've got no marketable skills. I'm not some hero who can just hit the road and fight monsters. Hell I'm not even a hero with super cool freaky ass powers like pulling a demon and smiting it like that or becoming the vengeful virago because the person she cares about is in trouble." Chuck knew he was rambling and most of what he was saying was what he managed to look up of Absolution and from the tidbits he was getting with the current stories. He didn't want to let it slip that more about her was coming in but still enough to keep her a vague figure in their lives. He just continued on, "Until the world ends, I gotta live. Alright? And the _Supernatural_ books are all I've got. What else do you want me to do?"

It was usually the cue for Angela to make some quip or even Dean but the Winchesters were silent on that. It was something to think about but on their minds were the fact that everything, the good, the bad and the ugly were out there and people seemed to think that it was… entertainment. For the most part, they were thought to be as fans since they were there and were dressed as they usually were and it…

The silence didn't last long when a loud scream was heard through the halls. It was first reaction and the Winchesters sped away towards the source not listening to Chuck's protests. They were joined by Cerebus, free from his leash, tearing up the stairs towards a maid that was on the ground. His hackles were up as he looked around giving a low growl while waiting for the Winchesters to catch up.

Sam was there and put a hand on Cerebus' back to indicate that he was there and to stay put while he asked the woman, "Hey, are you okay?"

"I think so," the maid, letting Sam help her up.

Dean came up right behind Sam and noticed Cerebus but no Angela. He wondered where the hell she was but kept his attention on the situation occurring, "What happened?"

"I saw a ghost."

"A ghost? Ma'am could you tell us what it looked like?"

At that moment Sam and Dean turned to see two guys coming up right behind them. Dean looked at them and motioned, "Leave this to the grown-ups, pal." This was business and they didn't have time to play around with kids.

The maid continued her explanation, "A woman. She was in an old fashioned dress. Really old. Like a school marm or something."

Sam was trying to listen to the woman but it was hard to when he had someone that wasn't either his brother or Angela was asking, "Did she say something to you?"

The maid though didn't care and she got this excited look as she replied, "Okay, gather close, everybody, for a terrifying tale of terror." She waved her hands to emphasize her point. "I saw a ghost. None other than the ghost of Leticia Gore herself. I was on the third floor getting ice for a guest…"

Sam couldn't resist the eye roll and moved away. He called to Cerebus who followed and on the dog's heels was Dean. This was the stupid 'hunt' that had been announced earlier. They had completely forgotten about it. When they heard the scream, it was an automatic response. Even Cerebus responded accordingly but Angela wasn't there. So there was annoyance and worry and mostly on Sam's end. Sam patted Cerebus who was still giving a low growl mingled with a harrumph. Dean said, "Yeah I feel ya too hell on four legs."

"The LARPing has started," Becky's voice entered as she caught up to them showing that excitement that Dean was certain going to have Angela probably rip her vocal cords out.

Dean looked at Becky not sure what she meant. "The… what is that again?"

Becky explained, "Live Action Role Playing. A game. The convention puts it on." She handed a flyer towards Sam, not even noticing that Cerebus was giving a warning growl low in his throat.

Dean did and used his knee to bump the dog. It wasn't really effective but he knew that the mutt was loyal to Angela and no doubt picked up that she wasn't happy Becky was here and in very close proximity to Sam. It worked though and Cerebus stayed where he was but was harrumphing disapproval. Oh yeah the mutt was definitely not happy.

In the meantime, Sam took the flyer to look at it. He heard Cerebus' growl and shifted to be a barrier of sorts though the dog could go around him if he wanted. He just hoped that the dog got the hint. He began to read, "Dad's Journal. Dear Sam and Dean, this hotel is haunted. You must hunt down the ghost. Interview witnesses, discover clues and find the bones. First team to do so wins a $50 gift card to Sizzler."

Sam tried to keep the annoyance and disdain out of his voice but it was hard. This was too much to deal with. While it was a pretty good incentive, he was not happy with the fact that it was centered around his and Dean's life since they knew that their life wasn't a game. The things they saw and did were very real. Some they still had trouble believing and it was because Angela knew about them and introduced them to it.

"You guys are so gonna win," Becky hinted at in an excited tone.

Both brothers couldn't really say anything. They waited until Becky left before heading back down to the main lobby. "Okay so fake hunt," Dean muttered.

"Yeah."

"We need to find Angie and go," Dean pointed out. He then looked at Cerebus trotting next to him and said, "And I thought you were supposed to stay with her hell on four legs."

"Dean," Sam said in a resigned sort of way. There was no point in going into that. Cerebus was probably under orders to go to him and Dean by her. For whatever reason was up in the air since they didn't know. It had him worried since she seemed a little off that day but how much trouble could she get into? He trusted that she knew how to compose herself and not get into trouble. She had taken care of herself long before she met him. He would just have to be patient and she would show herself.

They made it to the main lobby and watched a bunch of people dressed in cheap suits with fake badges flash them around the same guy that announced Chuck earlier. They listened with vaguely polite interest in the story that was being told about Leticia Gore and that she killed four boys and then herself. It was the kind of story that they would follow if they were on a job and if it were something that Angela dug up, it would have involved an ancient power or something that involved the Centurion dicks. That was a story… if it would be that.

"Well that's just about all the community theatre I can take," Dean grumbled as he turned towards Sam. "At least Angie is more convincing when she's messing with us."

"Yeah, this cannot get any weirder," Sam replied while watching. He didn't have to say anything about Angela's acting skills since he had seen them as well as Dean firsthand. She would be a better actress.

Sam spoke too soon however when the two guys they met earlier walked by. The one posing as Dean said, "Dad said… He said that I may have to kill you."

"Kill me? What the hell does that mean?"

"I don't know."

It was fairly accurate down to the words that were exchanged when Dean revealed what their father told them. It was good enough to drudge up memories but the way the two were talking. It was enough to question the sanity of things and ask if they really did sound like that. For Sam and Dean, they had seen enough and understood why Angela made her comment earlier. They turned to each other and said, "I need a drink."

A drink sounded like a good idea and they went to the bar with Cerebus tagging along. Whiskey or beer was the poison of choice and they were going to indulge. Dean went with the hard stuff. Sam was content with a beer and he was going to be on the lookout for Angela. He hadn't seen her since they went to talk to Chuck and then everything after that. He absently reached down and rubbed the dog's ears while taking a sip.

"Thought you'd want the hard stuff after this."

* * *

It was a constant game of hide and go seek as Angela moved about the hotel to find a place to hide from the fans that were Absolution worshippers. After her initial conversation with the guy she met earlier and his partner and then the crowd getting larger and questioning about her cosplay as they called it, she tried to hide but it seemed that people seemed to find her. There was always someone who wanted to know about her thoughts on Absolution and then they got insistent that she was Absolution.

That wasn't too far from the reality of things but she didn't want to gain attention since it could attract the wrong sort. So she answered like a fan would and then move to hide. Still they followed until she managed to hide in the main auditorium and lose them long enough to catch her breath. She opened the door and peered through and when she was certain that no one was watching, she slunk out with the goal of locating Sam and Dean.

She wandered through the hotel, using the skills she used back in the day before things like this and she was essentially a nobody. She stuck to the corners and managed to avoid detection from the attendees. She then took to concentrating on finding the boys using the least obvious method she knew and that was to sniff them out.

It was unexpected when she heard, "Princess?"

Angela blinked as she stopped and slowly turned. She blinked in surprise seeing the last person she expected to see at a _Supernatural_ convention. "Kess?"

Kesset peered at Angela and frowned, "Why are you here?"

"I could ask you the same thing," Angela replied getting over her shock. "I wouldn't peg you to be at a convention."

"I was asked to come to this festival."

Angela felt her lip twitch at that. There was a reason she liked the young guard and it was his innocence when it came to all things human. She wasn't going to correct him since he was pretty close with his assertion. She was curious as to how he came to be there so she asked, "Okay so… who convinced you?"

"There you are. I went to get you a drink and then you disappeared."

Angela turned to see a woman walk up to Kesset. She had been half joking when she told Kesset to find a girl but she never thought that he would take her seriously. Then again she should have known. It didn't help that she didn't remember she was the one that set him up in the first place. She took a step back and said, "Oh. You have company."

Kesset nodded and introduced his companion, "This is Kate."

Angela extended her hand in greeting and introduced herself, "Hi. I'm Angela. A friend of Kess'." She stepped back and took a breath. "So you're here and with a friend. How and why?" She frowned a little as if trying to make sense of the conversation.

"The how," Kesset began, "I flew and the why…"

"I asked him to come. I'm actually a fan of the _Supernatural_ books," Kate finished. "My favorite scene was when Dean spoke to Absolution before he went to hell. It made the character seem more real."

It took a moment to process what she heard and Angela leaned forward after glancing at the pair and asked, "You flew?"

"Yes," Kesset replied wondering what was wrong. "It is more practical than driving though I understand the necessity of it," he added much like a parent explaining things.

"Kess… you know…" Angela made a gesture to indicate she meant his wings. It was a risk revealing someone to the world she and Kesset were from. Once their eyes were opened… things changed. Sometimes for the better and sometimes for the worse.

"I know about Kess'… piloting skills," Kate replied not at all put out with the scene going on in front of her. "Believe me it was a relief to know that it wasn't the spicy food that gave me interesting dreams." She couldn't help but chuckle at that, putting Angela a little more at ease with the fact she knew a few things.

Angela read between the lines and understood that Kate knew that Kesset wasn't human. That was a relief since she didn't appear threatened by it. She replied, "Oh I've plenty of dreams and some brought on by what are considered the best films of the decade or something like that." She smiled to let Kate know that she was okay with it. "So you convinced Kess to come here?"

"She asked. I agreed."

"More like trying to explain what a convention was," Kate replied as she leaned forward ina whisper. "I got him hooked on festival."

Angela nodded at that. "Well I'm glad to hear that."

"You did say that I should go out on a date," Kesset replied. He had accepted the bottle of beer and took a tentative sniff of it. "This is beer?"

Angela couldn't help but chuckle. She knew that the Karnak idea of beer was a little bit or maybe vastly different from an outsider's idea of beer. "Yes it is."

Kesset eyed it, his reddish brown eyes looking at it like a bird of prey would. He lowered it after raising his brow at it and took a sip. "Not the best," was all he said. He took a closer look at Angela and noticed that something was amiss. "Is something wrong princess?"

Angela was about to reply when the scream was heard. Kesset narrowed his eyes and charged forward while at the same time Cerebus ran from the room. Kesset only paused a moment to say, "Stay here princess. Keep an eye on Kate."

Angela made a slight face as she watched Kesset leave. She was shocked that he unfurled his wings and continued to walk. Then she barely noticed the slight shimmer that occurred and when she noticed people didn't react, she realized that no one else could see him. She was still staring when Kate said, "Well at least no one will be freaked out by the sight of wings."

Angela turned to look at the woman, "You see them?" She raised her brow at the woman not certain if this was another small piece of weird like LARPing.

"He showed them to me," Kate replied, "It's nice to meet a guy that can be so brutally honest."

Angela couldn't help but chuckle at that. "That he is." She turned to look in the direction Kesset had gone. She could hear the murmur of voices but no further screaming or hysterics. It was then she realized what was going on.

"You don't have to worry about him."

Angela turned to look at Kate. The woman was giving a smile of reassurance. She replied, "In my nature. And he's supposed to watch over me."

"That much he told me." Kate looked at Angela and added, "He was worried about you after what happened."

"Can't expect anything less out of him. Much less his kind." Angela shifted on her feet. She wasn't going to run and find out what was going on now that she realized what was going on and relaxed a little. She turned to look at Kate. "Are you okay with that?"

Kate appreciated the directness of the question. Most people would give the 'don't hurt my friend' speech but she didn't. She just wanted to know how she felt about someone who looked human but wasn't really. She nodded, "I'm okay. Granted I thought I was going crazy when I saw him with wings in my dreams and I actually touched them. It felt real and… Then he shows up… I learned a bit."

Angela nodded. She didn't remember that she was the one that started the matchmaking process. She more or less told Kesset to go on a date when she wanted him to stop hovering. "It's a lot but the best source is Kess."

At that moment Kesset returned and ruffled his feathers angrily. "Strange humans. Don't they know that it is ill advised to cry wolf." He crossed his arms and huffed, rustling his feathers.

"It's called LARPing," Angela said as she watched Kate reach up and started stroking a few of the agitated feathers. "It's… a game."

"It's not a good one, Shifaa'." Kesset shifted on his feet and stopped rustling his feathers as Kate finished. He looked at Kate and his gaze softened, "Thank you."

Kate smiled back and replied, "Always. You need to…" She gestured at his wings. "I don't' know if anyone else can see them."

"Only you and the princess… and the Winchesters."

"Just only us?" Angela couldn't help but tease the Avian. It made her feel a little better about things going on and less inclined to pounce on Becky at first sight.

Missing the humor, much to Angela and Kate's amusement, Kesset replied, "Of course. Those that understand are not threatened by it."

"But you would blend in here," Kate muttered chuckling.

Angela couldn't help but chuckle along with her. Having Kesset around was like being around Castiel. The difference was that Kesset was learning more about human nuances than the angel but it was still quite funny. She sighed in content and said, "Kess, be like Cas and don't ever change."

Kesset nodded and gave a slight smile. He really did look like he belonged even though he was still sporting the same badass biker look or the typical bad boy girls fell for. His features did have a bit more of a haunted look at times and one couldn't blame him after everything that had happened. He took a moment to study Angela and was going to ask her a question but she turned and looked in the direction he had come and said, "I better go before I get a search party sent after me."

Kesset watched her leave and with a cautious air. He wondered if he was supposed to be following her when he felt a hand on his shoulder and Kate saying, "It's not the fan boys you have to worry about. It's more about her doing something to a fan girl." Kate was giving a knowing look when she said it as she guided Kesset through the convention.

In the meantime Angela was more or less tracking down Becky, not sure if she was going to vamp out on her or not and basically warn her to back off from Sam. She hated that since she was sure Becky was a nice girl. She just didn't like that she touched Sam and didn't like that Sam was made to feel uncomfortable with it. So she went about looking for the boys since by now they would have figured out that the scream was part of the role-play game. She did come across groups going through it and passed another group reenacting lines between Sam and Dean. They were so accurate that it was disturbing. She was going to follow through on her declaration of a drink and try to behave since the urge to chuck Becky out a window sans arms was great.

She found the bar and contemplated on if she wanted vodka or whiskey. Port sounded interesting too. She then spotted Sam alone with Cerebus and felt relief. She quietly walked up to him and said, "Thought you'd want the hard stuff after this."

* * *

**A/N:** Looks like the LARPing starts and a surprise appearance. This keeps getting better and better... sort of. Stay tuned for more There a Hunter in the House?...


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

_Thought you'd want the hard stuff after this._

Sam jumped slightly since her voice was soft and out of nowhere. He turned to see Angela giving a slight grin as she stood by the bar, leaning against it casually. "Could you not do that?"

"Old habits," she replied with a shrug. She tapped the bar and signaled for her drink. She decided on whiskey and the really good stuff and didn't mind paying the exorbitant price for it. "And I've been trying to avoid the fan boy brigade."

Sam raised his brow at that, aware that he was also experiencing pangs of jealousy, which was ridiculous since she did say that she was trying to avoid them. Plus he saw her reaction when a few people approached her excited about seeing her. "Fan boy brigade?"

Taking a sip of the whiskey, Angela explained, "You try making your way through a crowd that gets excited because you 'accurately portray the most mysterious character in the _Supernatural_ books'. It's enough to remind me of Phoenix."

Sam watched her knowing that there was more to it. The fan thing was nothing to her. She was amused by it. The only reason she would be agitated was that it was something else and she was doing her damn best to hide it. Still he would run with it if only to make her comfortable at least talking to him, "Was it really that bad?"

"Like I mentioned, Gil Hobbs, the creator of _Shadow Chasers_, he actually invited me to Phoenix since he was making an appearance and I was to be his guest." Angela shifted to lean against the bar more comfortably. "I'd actually been to these before and they do amuse me."

"Just… not this one."

"It does," Angela countered honestly. "Personally I found it hilarious when you showed the publisher your tattoos." She gave a smile as she drank her whiskey. "Just other things on my mind and being chased by fan boys doesn't help." It was the honest truth to a degree. She just left out the part that it was because she was ready to basically tear anyone who looked at Sam sideways and on top of that she was still processing the fact that he kissed her and it wasn't like the gentle ones he gave to her cheek. "If it were any other time… I'd get a kick out of the fact that there are guys and girls thinking I'm the one in the book."

"Well you are," Sam pointed out, relieved that she started relaxing a little. "And it is you in that graphic novel that guy Lewis showed us."

"Gil is a pretty good artist," Angela agreed as she took another sip of whiskey. "He used to follow me and Kira everywhere when we went on jobs. At least he's accurate. I can't stand unrealistic proportions."

"You're perfect," Sam said as he surveyed the hall in front of him. He realized what he said but didn't react though he could feel his skin flush.

Angela felt her own face flush. The sincerity of the comment touched her and she felt like a blushing schoolgirl. There was nothing to say except, "Thank you… Flatterer."

Sam relaxed a little and replied, "Honest truth." He dared to turn and look at her and came face to face with her expression that was… It definitely wasn't the one that he disliked since she had a slight tug on her lips towards a smile and her eyes… It was actually tempting to lean in and kiss her again.

They stared at each other, not sure of what to do when all of a sudden a sound caught their attention and they turned to see the guy dressed as a scarecrow holding a camera. Both could do nothing but blink as the guy said, "Wow. That was great. You know I always thought that Absolution and Sam should be together. I think Absolution is a girl anyway."

Angela blinked as the guy walked away and then glanced at Sam who looked more like someone just froze his laptop on a porn site. And that was mingled with the look of a guy that wanted to throttle another for interrupting something important. She tried to talk him down, "And here I was thinking that you needed someone's permission to take a photo. At least the lighting's good. No… flares."

If it wasn't one thing, it was another and it annoyed Sam that the universe told him one thing and he took advantage of it only to be told by that same universe that it might not be the best thing. He saw Angela's attempt for what it was and appreciated it but he was still annoyed. He tried to be nice in his tone, "Good."

The mood was thoroughly ruined and Angela cleared her throat and absently reached to pet Cerebus. It was a crutch and she was going to use it. It was one thing to make a joke at the boys' expense because they got so bent out of shape over a series of books that talked about their lives. It was another thing entirely when it involved her feelings and made her realize that she was that transparent at times and it made her scared and nervous. It made her want to curse Akira, Jo and Augusta for egging her on in this. "Yeah. Um…" Angela downed the rest of the whiskey, "I think I'll go find a vending machine, grab a couple of cans and try to scrub that out."

Sam knew that his response wasn't exactly forthcoming or even nice. He was concerned since her eyes had a tendency to flare especially if she was caught off guard. He was still upset since he was deciding on what to say and then… It frustrated him. And enough to the point where she was going to be nice and give him space and he thought he made her feel like she did something wrong. This was so screwed up. He started to say something but was interrupted.

"I just saw Stanley and he showed me the picture. It was awesome!"

It was then that Sam noticed that Angela visibly stiffened in front of Becky as she explained about the picture in that excited way of hers. He watched as she silently put a head on Cerebus' head and if it were possible for a dog to look upset, then it was possible. It surprised him when Angela spoke in her polite voice, "Maybe but he didn't ask. It wasn't appreciated."

Becky didn't appear to notice the tone as she explained, "But you are Absolution. You fit the description to a tee."

Sam would have said something Angela seemed content to do all the talking and he let it go as she replied, "I read the books. Absolution is nothing more than an ambiguous figure left entirely to chance of the wild imaginings of youthful enthusiasm."

"I don't know all of what you said but I know that Absolution is real. It's you," Becky pointed out. "Of course the books don't specify but there is the note that Absolution has always traveled with Sam and Dean since joining up with them. And you're here." She shrugged and gave a big smile. "It's awesome."

"I wouldn't call it awesome," Angela countered in a quiet tone that Sam recognized could be the warning tone before she struck. "I mean as the forums say I'm nothing more than a literary device that offsets the emotional issues." She raised her brow and a slight smirk was on her face.

"Only because the descriptions are vague and you do seem to just pop in and out. I often wonder why that is." Becky frowned a bit as she looked away to think about it.

"Perhaps because it is a story about Sam and Dean. Absolution is minor."

That was a load of crap in Sam's mind. Angela was important to Dean, Bobby and she was important to him. She was not some literary device just stuck in there for a reason. Granted he was well aware that his thoughts were extremely biased, it was the honest truth.

"But Absolution is important. How else would we know about those really personally thoughts and feelings?"

"Easy. If you delete Absolution, you'd still get the same thing." Angela shrugged her shoulders. Her expression was almost bemused at the whole thing. "It was written well enough to not be needed. My guess it was just a need to add something more and it worked… more or less."

"Definitely. I mean the ambiguity works over well. I mean there is a male version of you but I think the tattoo is completely wrong." Becky took on a serious expression. "Of course you would know."

"You seem fairly insistent that I am who you say I am." Angela raised her brow as she crossed her arms over her chest. Her tone had taken on a more bemused tone but the tension hadn't left her shoulders.

"Well I did read the books and Chuck did tell me you were real. When I first read about you, I thought that you weren't real but then the more I read about you… of course you were real." Becky smiled big like a child looking for a treat. She looked at Sam and Angela. "So when Stanley, he's a big fan too, saw you… you know."

"No I don't."

At that point Sam realized that while Angela was still tense around Becky, she was making fun of the girl and she was doing it in a way that was not very noticeable unless you paid attention to her mannerisms. At face value, it looked rather callous of Angela and not something he had known her to be. On the other hand it was probably because of the fact that she was still upset over the picture that had been taken. On the other hand it could be seen as an attempt to be polite.

"Well Stanley heard from a couple of guys that you were here and then saw you and he's a big fan of the Sam/Absolution ship. There is quite a following of the Dean/Absolution ship too."

Angela listened with polite interest. It was enough to relieve the tension and the desire to just be physically violent. It also helped that she kept her hand on Cerebus until she engaged in the conversation with the girl. It didn't mean that she liked her per se but she was willing to be polite. She could even blame it on the sense of manners drilled into her when she was a girl. The nice thing was that she was aware of what was going on with that and was able to respond without sounding like she didn't have the first damn clue. "I followed that. I just found it a little bit of personal space invasion."

"Oh. Right. I hope you don't beat Stanley up for that."

"No I won't. Thank you for the conversation. It was interesting."

Sam waited until Becky had left after giving a bit of moon eyes at him before approaching Angela and said, "That was a little mean."

"Maybe. I wanted to vent." Angela cleared her throat softly and turned to look at Sam as if daring him to challenge that assertion. "There are more ways than punching it out."

Sam studied her and was surprised that he was actually turned on by the assertiveness. He admired her ability to find a better solution even if it didn't seem like there was one. The only thing that had him on edge was the fact that she tended to do things that put her at risk. He found himself agreeing with her, "Not arguing with that. Seems to be a more healthy way."

"But it was a little mean." Angela gave a shrug at that and the defensive posture evaporated.

"You were making fun of her."

"Maybe." Angela paused to think about what she wanted to say next. She could tell him the real reason but that left the possibility that he would make fun of her and prove to her that he didn't feel the same way about her as she did him. Or he did feel the same way and she would scare him off for good. Either way, she was not given a good possibility. Finally she said, "I was also making fun of myself. I did say I was a figment of overactive imaginations."

Sam couldn't argue with that. He could see that she had relaxed visibly now that Becky was gone and it had him thinking about it but he didn't want to press. "But you're not."

"How people see me is," Angela pointed out. "It's kind of why I like these kind of things and kind of don't if it involves me." Absently she rubbed Cerebus' head and he let out a low rumble. "I like them because it is a good laugh and don't because… it's not me."

"You don't really believe that do you?" Sam peered at her not really sure what she was thinking of.

"The glorified tales, Sam," she explained. "I've read them and I do admit that _Shadow Chasers _I actually like since I pretty much scared Gil into making it as accurate as possible." She gave a slight smile and breathed in content. "That was fun."

Sam felt his lip twitch in amusement at that last part. "You do like trying to scare people."

"Not you." Angela looked away as she said that and looked around.

The soft way she uttered that reply had Sam pause. He wasn't sure how to respond to that since it was true but the way it sounded was different and she didn't include Dean in that. He would have said something but Dean came over and asked, "Where the hell have you been Angie?"

"Avoiding fan boys and making fun of a fan girl," Angela offered a bit lighthearted to the point that it sounded like when she announced something relevant to her experiences and the Winchesters didn't know whether or not to take it seriously. "And just making sure that Cerebus was a good boy."

Dean looked at Angela like she might have a few screws loose, "Being chased by fan boys?"

"Don't," Sam motioned and grabbed another beer. He noticed that Angela stepped closer to him to allow Dean in and ordered another drink.

"Just asking," Dean replied as he signaled for his shots of whiskey to begin. "After all she did reserve the right to drink."

"Into a stupor," Angela pointed out as she picked up her glass of port. She figured why not since she had the money and it had been awhile since she drank anything that strong in wines. "But I can't get drunk off of this, but it has a nice buzz." She took a sip.

"Wine? Serious?" Dean looked at her since he had seen her drink rotgut, beer, Guinness and other stuff a hunter should drink but wine?

"Port. Strong stuff and a very good buzz," Angela replied with a grin. "And I need it after this shit." She downed the port like she did the whiskey and asked for another glass.

Dean glanced at her as she downed the second glass and asked for a third. "You weren't kidding were you?"

"Nope."

Dean shrugged and downed his whiskey and asked for another. Sam looked at his beer, and then at Angela. She had stopped on the third glass, deciding to take it slow. Either that or she was buzzed and needed to figure out which way was up and down. He ventured, "A little too much?"

"Not enough," she replied giving a slight smile. She was joking since she had been on a two to three bottle binge of whiskey a few times in her life. It was a comfort and it did make her more vulnerable to irritability and other things. Just not drunkenness though she could pretend. "I'm good actually. Kess was here and he brought a girl."

"Kess?" Sam looked at Angela at the same time Dean did.

"Yep."

"With a girl?" Dean was incredulous at that. He thought it was a joke before but this was… "You're serious."

"Met her. Liked her." Angela took a sip of port. "Oh and she knows about his species. More or less. Feathered bastard told her and she's good with it." She took another sip and leaned down to scratch Cerebus' ears. "He doesn't really like LARPing though."

Sam was wrong when he thought things couldn't get any weirder. At least it was more or less the kind of weird that was acceptable with regards to what they did. He gave a shrug at Dean and went to drinking is beer. Dean looked at her and then turned away for another drink, "Damn the kid is good."

They drank in companionable silence absorbing the day so far. It was enough to have a couple of people stop and stare. Sam privately got a kick out of the look Angela gave them and raised her brow in warning when one lifted his phone to indicate that he wanted to take a picture. Silently the guy backed off and walked away and not a word was spoken. He was impressed and couldn't help but give a gentle pat to her forearm to indicate as such and felt better when it was returned with a smile from her.

In the meantime Dean saw the whole thing and noticed how his brother watched her. It was kind of cute and kind of not since his brother was almost making moon eyes at her and she was receptive but it didn't seem like it. He turned away to take another drink when he noticed that another person joined them at the bar. It was a girl and she looked hot. He decided to make polite conversation, "How you doing?"

"Busy."

Dean was in a flirting mood. He couldn't help the smirk and he wasn't put off that she was ignoring him by texting on her cell phone. He figured she was one of the role-playing people since she was dressed in an old dress and made up. "Well, you sure look lovely tonight. Especially for a dead chick."

"Buddy, I have heard that line seventeen times tonight, okay?" The girl continued to text on her phone but her tone indicated that she was less than thrilled to be talking to him. "An all from dudes wearing MacGyver jackets." She turned to look at Dean and her demeanor changed. "But you seem different."

Dean was curious and he could hear Angela chuckling since she had hearing like a bat but it went silent as quickly as it came. She was being entertained this or Sam said something incredibly funny and she bit. He kept his attention on the girl and studied her. "How so?"

"Well you don't seem scared of women."

Dean chuckled at that and she did the same with him. Well that was a no brainer. He managed to give her one of his more charming smiles. He then felt a bump and realized that Angela had moved at bit abruptly. At the same time someone was shouting, "For the last time, I'm not making this up okay? She's upstairs, a real, live, dead ghost."

Dean blinked as he watched Angela move quickly towards the pair that was talking with Cerebus on her heels. He saw her nose twitch and realized she was picking up on the stench of blood or something else and no doubt she heard everything going on. He excused himself and followed her over to the pair talking.

"I'm sure it was just one of the actors."

"Who beat the crap out of me and then vanished?"

Angela studied them and asked, "You saw something?"

"Look this isn't part of the game…" The one who had been ranting about seeing a ghost took a look at Angela. He took in the serious expression and no nonsense attitude. Her brow was raised in an inquisitive manner and essentially asking him to give everything. "Uh… I saw a ghost."

"Can you describe it?"

"Look it's not a game," the guy said and cowered slightly under her gaze before turning to his friend, "Look I'm getting out of here. You should do the same." He stepped around Angela since shoving didn't seem to be an option and he was nervous around her. He took off with his friend following and protesting behind him and passed Sam and Dean as they stood by Angela.

Angela followed the boys that were leaving. She then turned and looked up at the ceiling and tried to reach out. She had done it before and essentially it was like riding a bicycle while Sam asked, "What do you think?"

"I don't think that guy's a good enough actor to be acting," Dean replied watching the pair that was leaving.

"Blood was real," Angela said as she continued to look at the ceiling. "His kind… he would be scared of a paper cut."

Sam and Dean turned to look at Angela. Dean asked, "You sure?"

"Trust me. I even know the smell of my own." Angela continued to look at the ceiling and walked forward with a frown on her face. She needed to block everything else out

Sam swallowed at that statement and Dean cleared his throat slightly. That remark hit a little too close to home. Dean asked, "Picking up on anything?"

"I don't know yet." Angela stopped and looked around the room. No one had noticed her movements or if they did, they thought she was playing the game. "Cerebus?"

Cerebus made a slight growl and a whining sound. That told Angela he wasn't picking up much and maybe it was because of the nature of the place or he was more in tuned to tracking down the physical things they hunted. Either way, he had something but didn't know and he was letting her know.

Angela patted the dog to indicate he was a good dog and turned to look at the Winchesters. "I can't pick up anything definite but it is there and that expression was not a fake. Not even really good actors can do that."

"Don't know. You're in the running," Dean commented.

Angela made a hum at the back of her throat. She looked at Sam and Sam asked, "You think that the story of this place is true?"

Dean looked around. He was seeing people joining in on this "hunt". If it was true and there was a ghost around this place, they were obligated to hunt it. The people here didn't realize that these things were real and could kill you. As far as they were concerned, it wasn't real. He didn't like this convention thing much like his brother but if there was a potential danger, he wasn't going to leave them out to dry and Angela sure wasn't going to either. "Only one thing left to do."

Dean started walking through, ignoring the guy in the ascot talking to another group of these kids and looking for someone not associated with it to give some information. Sam followed right behind him and assumed that Angela did too until he saw her start to go up the stairs. "Angie?"

Angela paused and turned to look, "I'm going to check it out. I've got Cerebus with me. Find Kess. He may be able to help." She then turned to run up the stairs.

"And things are returning to normal," Dean muttered more annoyed than anything.

Sam was in agreement but his attitude was more into worry. He knew that Cerebus would look after her and the hell hound had more than proved his worth over the years. He just couldn't help but worry. He couldn't let it distract him and so he followed his brother to the concierge desk where Dean asked, "Excuse us. Mind if we ask you a few questions?"

The guy at the desk didn't bother to make eye contact as he replied, "Look, I don't have time to play Star Wars, guys. Go ask the guy in the ascot."

Sam and Dean exchanged glances and Sam gave a signal with his head. This was going to take a little more than the usual and for once Dean wished that Angela was there to use her persuasion skills. "Actually, we really wanna talk to you," he said as he fished out a fifty dollar bill and slid it to the guy.

* * *

**A/N:** Looks like Angie found a way to suppress the urges for now and looks like Samgie fluff and there looks to be some trouble. Stay tuned for more There a Hunter in the House?...


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

_The alpha shouldn't be alone._

Angela patted the dog. She knew that he didn't like that he couldn't follow her under normal means. "I know but… this is where the trail goes. I sense it."

_The master of the pups senses it too. The alpha shouldn't be alone._

Angela sighed at that. Either something was really bad up there or the dog was turning into the canine version of Sam. It was endearing and yet not really suited to the cause as of now. She looked up the stairs that led to the attic. She could hear something and looked up at the ceiling, her eyes flickering briefly for a moment.

Standing up, she signaled for Cerebus to stay put, "Stay there. Keep anyone not Sam or Dean away."

She knew what she was asking of the hell mutt and she didn't need to clarify. Cerebus knew who they were and wouldn't be fooled by the appearance. She slowly ascended the stairs to the attic, carefully twitching her nose to take a sniff. It wasn't like she was sniffing for demon blood or anything like that. The funny thing was that something did affect her nose when it came to EMF stuff. Mostly she could feel it on her skin and sense it like the Morton house.

The attic was dark and full of cobwebs and dust; it was pretty much a stereotypical attic. She crawled through the crawlspace to get in and slowly stood up to take a look around. She didn't bother pulling out her flashlight since her eyes could see everything. It was like wearing night vision goggles; a quirk of vampires and their werewolf frienimies.

Taking slow breaths Angela stretched her hands out and moved them around, much like when Augusta was learning how to see without her eyes. Her fingers wriggled slightly as they feathered through the air and she swung them back and forth in front of her in a sweeping motion. She let herself tap into her abilities and the quirks that had come naturally to her since she was a little girl.

The first brush had her pause as she turned to look around. She could feel the touch of the spirits in the air as she looked around. She turned towards a corner because she felt drawn towards it. She walked towards it slowly and with a determined step; like there was nothing there to harm her. She couldn't explain why she felt like that but she did and she might get some answers. She only turned to look when she heard something that didn't sound like the scurry of rats and she doubted the hotel had that kind of problem.

"My mommy loves me."

Angela turned towards the source. At the same time her eyes flared as she took in the sight of a little boy sitting on the floor. She stared at him as he looked up at her. "Your mommy?"

"My mommy loves me," the boy repeated as he sat holding his head.

Angela stared at him and took a couple of tentative steps forward. When she was within a too close for comfort range for Sam, she squatted to be at eye level and peered at the boy. She knew he was a ghost but he wasn't a malicious type of ghost. He didn't show the same kind of energy or pull that seriously pissed off ghosts had. She peered at the boy and asked, "Is your mommy hurting people?"

"My mommy loves me," the boy said.

Angela nodded a bit. "Okay." She peered at the boy and saw something that prodded her to ask, "Can you tell me who did that to you?" She reached out to point at where the boy's hands covered his head.

Normally ghosts could be scary and she could admit that on her first salt and burn, she had run out of the building screaming. Since then, she learned to tell the difference. Most ghosts that remained were troubled spirits. They couldn't cross over because of the nature of their deaths. But there were some that did have a nasty end but it didn't end that way. And some chose to remain behind because they wanted to.

This boy, she sensed wasn't a pissed off spirit. Rather he was the victim of a violent death. That much she could tell from the look she got of his head. She wasn't threatened by him and while there was the potential that she could be a victim of the ghost itself, she wasn't afraid. She looked at the boy and asked, "Can you tell me what happened to you?"

"My mommy loves me this much!" The boy opened his arms to reveal the wound on his head.

Angela merely blinked and replied, "And I understand that. I am guessing that your mommy did what she could to save you. Protect you. I want to know who hurt you. I want to help her." It was a gamble saying that but she was going to go with it.

The boy looked at her and seemed to be stunned that she wasn't afraid. The only thing she was truly scared of were her own feelings and losing Sam. And that was something that was a work in progress. Anything else could startle her and make her be surprised. Seeing that she was being sincere he looked at her. "You need to see."

Angela continued to stare at the boy. "See what?"

"See why my mommy loves me." The boy held out his hand after he stood up.

Angela stood up the same time as the boy did. She looked down at him and the outstretched hand. She wasn't sure if this was all in her head or if it was something that was real. Yes, she knew that ghosts were real but she was getting the idea that the boy was going to actually show her what had happened. That kind of thing was risky business in of itself.

She had been subjected to high definition replays before. Sometimes when the vision gift decided to kick in, she got a full picture view and it wasn't exactly the prettiest or the best of things. Sometimes they were that real and you couldn't tell the difference. It was why she had asked Sam if what she was seeing was real. The drugs Carter had given her fucked with her sense of sight and it was her sense of smell that enabled her to know that Sam was Sam but she wasn't overly confident in other things.

It was a risk and after weighing in the consequences, she took the step forward. She extended her hand and placed it just above the boy's hand. She looked at him and asked, "Are you going to show me?"

The boy nodded, "Yes. You must see why my mommy loves me."

_Sam and Dean are probably gonna kill me for this._

It wasn't the first time that she did an impulse leap and it wouldn't be the last. Yet ever since Sam asked it of her, she had tried to consider their feelings more. She tried to make choices that weren't designed for imminent death. Though killing herself on accident while saving a girl and attempting to save others was not the best move either and that one had been made from first instinct. Her first instinct was always to protect no matter way. In this case, there was a building full of people that were poking at something that they think isn't real. The wry thought that she was saving them from stupidity was a constant invader but in the end, it was all about life.

Taking a breath, she put her hand in the palm of the boy. She felt his little fingers curl around her hand and she felt that familiar sensation when the vision mojo kicked in. Her skin also prickled into goose bumps along her spine. She felt a rush of air and it was like being thrust back into time.

It was the same attic but it was different. It was from a different time. Angela looked around and noted the changes. She was good at recognizing time periods. Hell she lived five centuries and pretty much could name the fashions on the back of her hand. It didn't take her long to realize that she was in the building but it wasn't a hotel. She looked at the boy.

"This was home. My mommy was in charge."

Angela looked at the bow as her brow rose into a frown. She nodded and said, "Okay. Well lead the way. Show me what happened to you."

The boy started walking and Angela didn't know if it was a ghost thing or she did it herself but she found herself in a room and there were four little boys in there. They were playing and she recognized the boy that was holding her hand. She asked, "What is this place?"

The boy pointed to the sign that was nearby and read "Gore Orphanage'. She looked at the boy for confirmation and got the silent look. It was clear that this place was once an orphanage and this boy had lived there. She looked around and saw the same furnishings and everything else that she had seen when she first entered the place. Judging from the time period, she guessed it to be the beginning of the twentieth century, Victorian era.

_And Dean says Sam is the college freak._

The early part of the twentieth century was not one of her favorite time periods. Then again any period where she was told she couldn't do anything because she was a girl irked her. It had been that way since she was a little girl and she sure showed those boys. There were some high points though so she couldn't discount it completely and her ideas were the kind that would equate her to be a nerd like Sam.

She walked through the room to take a look around. She recognized it a little and turned when she heard the sound of children laughing. She saw a group of four little boys running through the orphanage, one of them the little boy that brought her here. She turned to look at the boy and he nodded. Taking that as a cue, she started walking forward.

She followed the boys down to a room where they were playing. They were doing the things that little boys did and were scuffling and playing around. They reminded her of puppies and figured that there was some logic to that old phrase of boys being made of snips and snails and puppy dog tails. Of course it was nonsense about girls.

"I'm bored. I want to do something fun."

"Miss Gore won't let us have any fun."

Angela watched the scene play out of three boys. They were talking about being bored and that they wanted to have some real fun. She stared at them as she studied them and got the sense that they were not just going to have a typical children's play thing going on. She stayed where she was and only glanced away when she felt a little hand slip into hers. She looked to find the boy that had been scalped holding onto her hand almost like a child would appeal to their mother. She studied the boy and and gave the barest of nods. There was no harm and no foul.

The 'story' she was being shown continued and she followed as the boys came up with an idea to play cowboys and Indians. They got bored before someone decided to escalate it. That was when they called for the little boy. At that moment, Angela got a bad feeling about what was going to happen. A part of her wanted to end the whole thing and she wanted to tell the ghost to stop but mostly she wanted to see… and not because of morbid curiosity.

The 'game' ended back in the attic with three of the boys playing Indians and the one holding her hand was probably the cowboy. Her throat convulsed the moment she saw the knife and then… She made a slight face as she watched and heard the screams. She looked at her companion and asked, "That bad huh?"

"But my mommy loves me," the boy merely said.

It certainly was that when Leticia Gore herself came out and then… It was gruesome. It was bad enough that children had died but Angela realized that there was something wrong with those boys. The sad thing was that the things that could affect the mind weren't really developed then. She shook her head and said, "Now I understand." She looked at the boy. "Your mother keeps the others in line."

The boy nodded at her. His eyes were wide eyed and solemn. "My mommy loves me. Just like you."

Angela raised her brow at that. "Me? I'm not a mother."

"You love people."

It was a simple phrase and yet Angela grasped the meaning behind it. She made a clicking sound with her tongue and nodded. She could get what the boy was trying to say and it wasn't the first time someone said that about her and to her.

The boy continued to look at her and added, "You love people. Even when they have done wrong. It is what you do."

"You mean protecting them?" Angela looked at the boy as he nodded. It was her job to the feathered dicks but it was a natural thing for her. Even before she became who she was now she protected those that couldn't do it or they were picked on. She had stood up for a couple of girls against a double standard. She beat up a bully who tormented her friend when she was a child; it was what she did.

Looking up, Angela looked at the sight of the dead bodies around. So the stories about the lady were not true. It was definitely something that she needed to tell the boys about. She turned towards the boy when something changed. She felt it and looked at the boy. Her gaze turned sharp when he flickered. "What's happening?"

"You must go."

"Wait."

"You go. Love the people."

Angela blinked and when her eyes opened, she found that she was no longer in the attic. She was in the hotel still. She was just somewhere and probably upstairs in one of the halls. It was then she sensed the cold and she slowed her breathing down. It was then she heard the sound of children's laughter. And it wasn't the kind that evoked the pleasant images of children laughing and playing. Her hand automatically reached for her chakram. It wouldn't do much but it made her feel better. _What happened?_

* * *

_This is Angie. You know what to do._

"Angie, it's Sam. Give me a call." Sam cut the connection and paused as he held his phone in his hands. He was trying hard not to worry but it was extremely hard after everything. It would probably make him old and grey before this business was over but… He sighed and put his phone away. It could be that she was trying to avoid another bout of fan boys chasing after her.

"Any luck?"

"No."

Dean said nothing but hefted his bag higher and continued to follow the two guys they met that had managed to get a hold of an authentic map of the place and managed to locate the cemetery where Leticia Gore's bones were. His own anxiety was revealed when he reached down and rubbed Cerebus on the head and hugged the dog to his leg.

They had gone to the attic and found Cerebus waiting at the base and giving a high-pitched whine. They went up there and they found the boy that was Leticia's son and the picture wasn't pretty. From there Sam called the Historical Society while Dean tried calling Angela but got nothing. They figured out that she had gone up to the attic on her own doing whatever it was she did and from there… no idea and Cerebus couldn't find her either.

"Hey, Rufus, Bobby, would you hurry it up?"

Dean rolled his eyes as Sam asked him, "You all right?"

"I'm trying to be," Dean replied. He took a look at Sam and took in his brother's countenance. "What about you? You okay?"

"Yeah," Sam offered. He had to be. There was a job that needed to be done and if he thought about it, she would have told him the job came first. "I'm good."

Dean didn't respond to that but studied his brother. He would let it pass for now and made a note to have a serious talk with Angela. How much good it would do, he didn't know. Then again maybe they stopped sniffing butts long enough to talk. Either way, he couldn't worry about it now. They had a job to do. He could understand now his girl's urge to get vicious with Becky at least a little since he wasn't in love with Sam.

"Dr. Ellicott had just zapped your brain."

It was watching a horrible trip down memory lane as both brothers recalled that instance. It was never pleasant remembering the things you said in the heat of anger. To hear it from someone else and they attempted to sound like you… it made it worse. Both brothers knew that if Angela were there, she would have been either trying hard not to laugh or probably do something that would steer the conversation away from that particular moment. The best they could do was grin and bear with it. At least until Dean had enough.

Dean couldn't stand it and took matters into his own hands. He wasn't the nice one like his girl or even Sam. He had enough. "All right, you know what? That's it. That is it."

"What's wrong, Bobby?"

Dean wished he hadn't used Bobby's name but… "I'm not Bobby, okay? You're not Sam. You're not Dean. What is wrong with you? Why in the hell would you choose to be these guys?" He didn't get it since he knew what his life was like and it sucked.

"Because we're fans… Like you."

"No. I'm not a fan, okay?" Dean took a moment so it didn't look like he was going to strangle the two guys in front of him though he was certain Sam would stop him. "Not fans. In fact, I think that the Dean and Sam's story sucks. It is not fun. It's not entertaining. It is a river of crap that would send most people howling to the nuthouse. So you listen to me, their pain is not for your amusement. I mean, you think that they enjoy being treated like circus freaks?"

If there was one thing that Sam could appreciate it was that Dean had a way of summing things up in a nutshell. That is if you wanted it blunt as possible. Also it was better to let Dean rant on things though it was entertaining when Angela messed with him. The last time she made a face and said he needed a Tic Tac. That had him howling with laughter. Now… he could agree with Dean.

"Uh… I don't think they care because they're fictional characters," the guy that greeted Angela at the beginning said while looking at the Winchesters like they were insane.

"Oh they care. Believe me. And Absolution does too." Dean felt the need to include his girl since she seemed to be just as popular and it was all speculation to the fans. "They care a lot," he finished before starting forward again. He was sick of this. All he wanted to do was gank the bitch, have a drink and then leave.

Sam knew that a bit of damage control was needed. It was true that he and Dean didn't like that their lives were viewed as exciting by everyone. He understood what Angela meant when she said she didn't like what other people thought about her with the embellishments. "He uh… He takes the story really seriously," he offered. He then proceeded to follow Dean leaving the others to figure it out.

Nothing more was said as they made it to the cemetery. Dean watched Cerebus as the hell mutt trotted ahead and poked around, sniffing. "Find the bones, hell on four legs."

Both Winchesters were busy paying attention to the dog that they didn't notice the other two eyeing the situation like they stepped into a plate of weird. They were also trying to recall if Sam and Dean traveled with a dog since the nickname hell on four legs was used a couple of times in the books. They followed the real hunters as they followed the dog right to the grave of Leticia Gore.

Dean managed to find the graves of the four boys and notified Sam who replied, "And here's Leticia Gore."

Dean was going to say something when he noticed the other two looking around and couldn't help but ask, "What are you guys doing?"

"We're looking for bones, genius."

Dean knew that Angela would have been laughing out loud by now and probably issued a sarcastic remark right about now. He gave a shake of his head. Time to explain a little bit of reality. "Okay well general bones are in the ground."

It was amusing to Dean that the two guys were shocked that they really were on a real hunt. It felt a bit like payback and he enjoyed it but kept a straight face as he confirmed that he was serious as pie about digging up the bones. It would also be fun to show them what Cerebus could do but he wouldn't go too far to scare the 'civilians'. "Trust us. You wanna win the game, right?" Getting nothing he said, "Sam," and motioned to the dog.

Sam had the kit shovels out to dig but he got Dean's intention. He thought it was a little much but… He looked at Cerebus and said, "Go on boy. Dig."

It was actually amusing to see two guys watching the dog intently while the other two were looking like they had just joined up with a pair of weirdoes and their crazy dog. They had never seen a dog dig that fast before and enjoy doing it. Then again most dogs did like to dig holes but this one was digging up a grave and not even breaking a sweat. One couldn't help but comment, "I've never seen a dog dig that fast."

"That's because hell on four legs is a hell hound," Dean muttered as he jumped in to help the dog.

"Hell hound?"

Sam felt like it was the scene between Angela and Becky all over again since it was obvious that these guys didn't know that Cerebus was the real deal and probably the books failed to mention that they had a hell hound that followed Absolution and defended them with hell's fury.

Dean managed to get to the coffin and ordered the dog out to pry the lid open. That led to the other two guys freaking out and calling them nuts. At least that proved Dean's point about the nuthouse. At the same time Cerebus started growling low. The rumble was low but neither Sam nor Dean heard it since the other two were calling them insane. It became apparent when the dog started barking as Leticia Gore herself appeared saying, "Naughty, naughty, naughty."

All hell didn't break loose since they managed to get the bitch after it knocked Sam aside and then tried to kill one of the LARPers. Cerebus had charged forward and attempted to grab the ghost but he was kicked in the face and shrieked. Luckily Dean managed to get the bones salted and burned and the ghost flamed out.

Sam rolled over from where he had fallen to find Cerebus in his face looking him over and licking him in the face. He waved off the dog and got to his feet and gave him a pat. He walked over towards Dean as he looked at the other two and asked, "Real enough for you?"

It certainly was enough to warrant a drink in which Sam and Dean paid for and were ready to take their leave though first they had to find Angela. They couldn't resist stopping by Chuck and telling him 'screw you'. It felt good. That is until they found that the doors wouldn't open and every exit was sealed and Cerebus wouldn't stop whining. Then they heard the scream.

* * *

**A/N:** Angie has an interesting ride with the little boy and Sam and Dean give a couple of fans a little taste of reality. What's next? Stay tuned for next time for There a Hunter in the House?...


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

Angela looked around the place and checked her watch. She couldn't help but smile since it was the one Dean gave her for her birthday. It was the only one she had ever owned and she liked to think the world was telling her something since it hadn't been broken yet. She was surprised that she had lost a chunk of time going through that memory and she ended up in a different location. "Oh boy. Dean's gonna be pissed," she muttered as she looked around.

Deciding the best bet was to head back down to the lobby and then try to call, she traveled down the hall. The chilled feeling she had gotten didn't go away and she was certain something else was going on. She held onto her chakram and moved slowly. She had to tell Sam and Dean that it wasn't Leticia Gore but the three boys.

She entered in a room that looked like a parlor and saw the little boy from before. She looked at him and he said, "My mommy was sent away."

Angela realized that Leticia had been salted and burned. She was too late. She continued to stare at the boy, not realizing that one of the actors, the girl that was playing Leticia, had come in. She didn't even see the girl until she looked up when she screamed. She then looked at the boy.

"Why did they send my mommy away?"

Angela was about to say something but Sam and Dean came up followed by Cerebus and they were telling the girl to get downstairs. She was not in a position to be seen but she saw them. They looked at the boy sitting on the ground, holding his head and revealing the injury he received that killed him.

"Why'd you do that? Why did you send my mommy away?"

Dean was the first to respond, "Maybe because of the high and tight she gave you, huh? How about some thanks."

Sam cleared his throat at that. He gave a little shake of his head. If they got this kid pissed off, there was no telling what he would do.

"What? I'm just saying a little gratitude might be nice once in a while," Dean protested.

"And Leticia didn't do that to him," Angela said, earning a surprised look from them.

"And where the hell have you been?" Dean was well aware that now was not the time but he couldn't help it.

"Around," Angela countered, her tone taking a slight edge. She sensed the others and the chill down her spine was hardly pleasant. "Look she didn't do it."

"Then who did?" Sam looked at Angela, giving a quick look over to make sure that she was okay. He was relieved that she wasn't hurt and she didn't seem to be worse for the wear.

Angela was going to say something as she glanced back at the boy. At that moment he disappeared as she picked up the slight feeling of fear. She then sensed it, unaware that her eyes flickered in response. "Oh no," she whispered before taking off.

Had it not been a serious situation, it would have had Dean more or less going all Dean Inquisition on her. This was not the case though as he and Sam followed the hell mutt as he followed Angela who was moving at a fast pace through the halls. "What the hell Sam?"

"Just keep up."

All of a sudden, they heard a guy screaming and yelling in German. It prompted Angela to move faster. She rounded the corner and came across the body. It was the guy that had a lot to criticize about the _Supernatural _books. She made a slight face of disappointment. She was joined by Sam and Dean. "We've got a problem," she said.

"Yeah no shit," Dean muttered.

Angela looked at the body and thought about what their next move was going to be since they were on lockdown. That was usually the case and given what she had seen the past couple of hours… She put her hands on her hips since there was the issue with the now dead body. That was going to be difficult to explain. Right now they had to make sure the civilians were safe.

Sam studied her and was going to say something when Kesset came up asking, "Where is it?"

Dean turned and expected a full on Avian rampage but didn't get it. Still he had to make sure that the kid was calm. "Whoa there Kess. We're good."

"I know that Dean," Kesset replied as he adjusted his jacket and looked around. His gaze barely flickered over the dead body. "My concern is for someone else."

"Good thing, cause we got a problem, Kess," Angela said as she turned to look at the Avian. "And I'm gonna need a guardian tonight."

"You have it, princess. Always." Kesset looked full on at Angela, his eyes locking with hers. To an outsider it looked like they were challenging each other. In reality, she was merely reasserting her position within the royal family and making sure the Avian acknowledged Sam and Dean. "What is it you wish me to do?"

Sam looked at Kesset but didn't feel threatened by the gaze he was giving. He knew that Kesset was devoted to Angela in terms of protecting her and he accepted that. So he was comfortable with him and Dean was too. It was just nerve wracking now that they knew what Avians were capable of especially when roused to extreme anger.

With the current situation, Sam saw how helpful Kesset could be. His mild countenance at times as well as the firm looks could keep the people safe. He looked at him, "We need you to protect the people."

Kesset looked at Sam and then to Angela for confirmation. She nodded, "There's three ghosts loose. We need you to make sure the people stay within the…" She looked around to think. She then remembered and snapped her fingers, "Keep them in the auditorium. Do not let them cross the salt barrier once we lay it down."

Kesset listened and nodded, "I will do as you command, princess."

"And we really got to work on you not… never mind." Angela waved her hand since it wasn't important really. She looked at the scalped fan. There wasn't much to do about it at the moment. "And figure out a way to get out and get to the bones."

"First off," Sam put in, "How are we going to make sure that everyone else is safe?"

Dean had an idea but he didn't want to say it. Still he had to even though it was probably going to be painful. "Well, Chuck can keep the folks busy."

"After what you two probably said?" Angela looked at Dean.

Dean had to admit that she didn't miss a beat when it came to the things they did. "Hey you know where we stand." He cleared his throat since it was hardly the time or the place to argue about this. He tried to not look embarrassed as he continued, "But since Chuck is the guy that everyone thinks has been a genius writing about us…" He looked at Angela that clearly said that he wasn't going to say anything more. She could get it.

"Okay then. Let's round up everyone," Angela said. "Sam, talk to Chuck. Kesset, man the door and Dean let's get these people into one location."

"Fine you bossy nag," Dean teased but went along with it. "Come on hell on four legs. Maybe you might be able to scare a few." He patted Cerebus on the shoulder to indicate he should follow. He was followed by Kesset and he immediately began asking him about his girl.

Angela shook her head. "I think I put you guys into bad habits with all the joking around."

"It's been a long day," Sam offered as he followed her. There wasn't much they could do for the body so they left it for now. "And it's not like… you know."

Angela hummed in her throat at what Sam had meant even though he didn't voice it. She walked the hall and looked around and her fingers ran along the wood. She could feel the grain and it felt like when she was traveling the memory she had been exposed to.

Sam was quiet for a moment. He then asked, "Where were you Angie?"

"I was here," Angela replied after thinking for a moment. "I went to the attic and spoke to the boy who got scalped. We had an interesting conversation."

"You talked to him?"

Angela paused and turned to look at Sam. "He showed me what happened." She frowned slightly as she continued, almost as if she were thinking about things as she said them. "I wasn't afraid or anything. We just talked. He said I needed to see."

"But we were in the attic. You weren't there and it was clear to Cerebus that you went up that way." Sam was aware that it sounded silly that he made it seem like the dog actually old him where she had gone. "He was sitting and looking up and whining."

"I know. I told him to say behind and to keep the fans out. I figured that if something were pissed, I didn't want anyone not prepared to be hurt." Angela gave a slight shrug and turned to continue towards the stairs. "But I went to the attic and then ended up in the halls."

"And no one saw you?"

"It's not the first time something like that happened. At least I think that was the case." Angela cleared her throat since she knew that she paved the way for more questions from Sam. She expected it from him. She headed him off and continued, "It is possible for someone to be caught in a temporal/spatial vortex. And that sounded really sci-fi. Anyway it is possible and it could be that we passed by each other at some point but didn't see each other. Maybe felt something like one would a ghost's presence before the usual."

As farfetched as it sounded, it made sense. Sam noticed that Angela appeared confused as she tried to explain how she ended up from the attic and into a parlor room and managed to avoid being seen for the last couple of hours. While he had an explanation, he didn't like that she had to go through all that again. She had already lost a chunk of time and couldn't remember it. This was different on some level but it was still the same. "So you think that happened to you?"

"Must have since I know I worried you guys and I'm sorry."

"Nothing to be sorry about," Sam said as they walked down the stairs. "I'm just glad that you're okay. Really." He offered a reassuring smile before going to tell Chuck the bad news.

Angela watched as Sam went to go do his part. Something had changed and it had to have happened at the time when she wouldn't remember. It explains why it appeared so sudden but it still made her nervous. And yet… she was calmed by it. She was still annoyed by the overprotectiveness but it was something she couldn't and would rather not change. She still didn't know what that meant but she could make the effort to work with it. She turned and started herding the hotel staff into the auditorium.

"Do we really have to?"

She looked at the maid she was escorting and said, "Please." She was asking them to humor her and she didn't even think about what Dean was saying to convince them. She joined him at the door as he was promising the concierge that it was going to be a helluva show. She looked at him and asked, "You think?"

"Chuck can pull it off," Dean offered. "After Sam tells him it's life and death serious."

"And I have no idea why I hang out with you two."

"Because I'm cute," Dean shot back.

"More like adorable… like a puppy," Angela replied with a smirk.

"I thought so too," Kate said as she entered. She was the last to come in with Kesset. She looked at Dean and said, "Thanks for what you do. You and your brother."

Angela raised her brow and looked at Dean. He was looking surprised. She said nothing but looked back at Kate as she explained, "I figured it out from the books and after everything regarding a little girl."

Dean watched her enter followed by Kesset. The Avian paused long enough to let them know that he would keep an eye out. Dean noticed that Kesset put his hand around Kate's waist and raised a brow at that. Definitely things were weird this day.

* * *

"The three orphans were playing cowboys and Indians," Angela explained as she glanced nervously towards the stage. "They scalped Leticia's son and killed him."

"And you saw all this?"

"I know it sounds highly unlikely…"

Dean had been listening to Angela's story while trying to take in the fact that Sam was calm about it. He surmised that Angela told him first and he was okay with it. "Unlikely yeah. You disappeared while we were burning the old lady's corpse and whatever it was."

Angela made a slight face at that since it pretty much summed everything up. It wasn't like she could lie about it. And the truth was sometimes even harder to swallow than a lie. She nodded and continued, "I saw it and to make the technical stuff simple, I was still in the building just… like what Cas does when he doesn't want to be seen."

It made sense on some level and Dean could accept that. "Okay so after the three brats kill the kid, Mom catches them in the act, flips out, slices them and dices herself."

"Pretty much," Angela replied nodded as she looked up at the ceiling more to get a read on the building. The chill was still there but with the salt lines, things would be okay for the time being. She noticed Kesset standing near the back and looking reading to literally pick up and put anyone who moved back into their seat. "Which means…"

"Which means that we've got three bloodthirsty brats in the place," Sam finished.

"And Leticia was keeping them under control," Dean surmised, "Until we took her out. Smooth move on our part."

"You didn't know that was the story," Angela offered softly.

"Yeah but we should have looked harder," Dean pointed out. "So there is only one thing left to do."

"Get back to the cemetery and torch the kids' bones." Sam nodded in agreement while glancing at Angela. "Thing is… how? We're trapped and we don't even have our guns."

Sam had a point. In fact the only thing that they did have was the salt and whatever it was Angela was carrying and at the moment it was her chakram and knife. Dean had to hand one good thing to Chuck's books and that was making his girl wield exotic enough weapons that most would assume that they were replicas. He pointed out, "Well Angie has her gear."

"Not really ghost hunting material," Angela replied as she directed her attention back to the conversation. "Besides, the ghosts that are running the joint are only scared of one thing."

"True," Dean pointed out. Then he got an idea. "Exactly Angie. You're brilliant." He turned to head to the crowd, looking for someone.

Angela blinked and asked, "Did I miss something?"

"Uh…" Sam looked at Angela. There was nothing more to say since Dean had managed to weed out the girl that was playing the part of Leticia Gore. He got what Dean was after and it was clear that Angela did once she put aside her confusion.

Angela caught up with Dean to catch what he was trying to convince her to do. She could tell that the girl wasn't quite buying it and it was evident when she asked what they wanted her to do in disbelief. She stepped as Dean said, "You're an actress. All we want you to do is act."

"I work at Hooters in Toledo. You can forget it," the girl said.

"You'll be safe. We promise," Sam replied. "This is really important."

The girl still wasn't convinced by it. It certainly wasn't helping their case just as the two that helped out Sam and Dean earlier came up and offered their help. Angela stepped forward and took the girl aside and said in a low tone that was gentle but firm; firm enough to relay the seriousness of the situation, "I know it's asking a lot out of you but we need you to do this."

"This is crazy though. Real ghosts?"

Angela had seen the looks before so she knew how to deal with it. She put a hand gently on the girl's shoulder and replied, "I know it sounds like a boatful of crazy. Believe me I thought it was crazy too." She paused just a moment to let it sink in a little before continuing, "But it is very real and what I am asking you to do… it will help."

The silence that followed would have been unnerving to some but Angela was not. She merely stared and waited for the girl to think about it and come to a decision. She wasn't surprised that there was a silence. It usually happened when the veil was lifted.

"You really believe in this stuff, don't you?"

Angela nodded, "It's very real."

"I don't…" The girl started to walk away.

Angela knew that it was a gamble but she thought it was worth the risk. She grabbed the girl's arm gently and pulled her to face her. "Please," she implored, "I know it's a lot but…" She let her eyes flare. "This is very real."

"Your eyes…"

"I know," Angela countered. At least she wasn't screaming and running towards the nuthouse. "The point is that there are things out there that are like me. And like me… these ghosts are real. I'm not gonna lie and say that there is no risk. But if you do what we need you to do and play Leticia Gore, the risk to you is reduced and will give us a chance to make this right for everyone."

The girl looked at Angela. Angela knew she needed to think but they didn't have a whole lot of time. Still she would give her time for this. She just added, "I know it's a lot to ask but…" She looked at the girl with a look that conveyed much.

In the meantime, Sam and Dean had been distracted by the two guys they had went with to burn Leticia's remains. They had come up and offered their help. Dean went to work on trying to convince them to stand down since this wasn't a game. Yet they were insistent. They said that they were scared shitless but if there were people in danger, they wanted to help.

Dean had to admit that he was surprised and thought they were nuts. He and Sam he could understand since that was their job. He understood Angela because it wasn't just her job; it was who she was. These guys… he asked, "Why would you want to do that?"

"Because it's what Sam and Dean would do."

It was a simple answer and it was the thing he and Sam would do. It had Dean think about it for a moment as he stared at the two. It seemed that they understood the risks and they still wanted to do it. The upside was that they would have a couple pairs of extra hands.

While Dean was talking to them, Sam was going to attempt 'the puppy dog thing' on the girl. He wasn't going to lie that it was a method that worked in most cases and he had been the victim of the puppy dog thing as well. He just didn't like getting called out in front of strangers about it. It really wasn't a time to quibble about it so he went to do it only to find Angela and the girl talking and the girl was nodding in agreement. He approached just as Angela turned and was greeted by a brief smile followed by, "She's gonna help us."

It took a full second for Sam to realize what she had just said before replying, "Good." He gestured towards Dean before turning back to Angela and asking, "How did you…?"

"Let's just say that it took a… different form of persuasion," Angela replied as they joined Dean. She looked at the two joining them and they briefly got wide eyed at her. She glanced at the boys and they gave her a 'we'll talk later' look. She accepted it and said, "Okay we've got our actress. It should distract the ghosts long enough to pry a door open. Once out, dig up the bones and burn them. Simple."

"You make it sound easy," the lanky one said.

"Yeah… it's a talent." Angela looked at everyone and then at the girl. "We ready? Let's go."

They started to go to their places. It didn't matter who got out as long as they did. However it was better if the two fans went to burn the bones. They wouldn't get into too much trouble if things went south inside the place. Dean when to watch the girl upstairs with Cerebus and Sam while Angela went to help the other two get a door open. Her reasoning was because she could lift both Winchesters as dead weight.

It was enough for Sam and Dean but it certainly had the other two wondering if she was kidding or not. The one who greeted her in the beginning asked, "Are you serious? About the lifting…?"

Angela led the way to the door closest to the cemetery. "Yeah. I can lift them both." She looked at the door and put her hand to it to study it.

That tingly chill was still around and it was bothersome. It was like the Morton house all over again. She didn't like that there were three. True she had gone against that many before but the fact that there were civilians in the building, that didn't sit right.

_You've got to work with the best you've got my queen._

It was a fine time to be thinking about Ares and the times he actually flirted with her when they last spoke. Yet the Grecian god of war always had something that could be considered a pearl of wisdom. She may not like his manner but sometimes he did have something worth saying. She looked at the two guys and gave a slight smile, "It'll be all right. This will work."

"You seem sure about that."

_I have to be for everyone's sake._ Angela glanced at them and rubbed her hand along the framing. She sensed the change. It was time to move. "Get ready."

* * *

**A/N:** Looks like Sam and Dean made a mistake and they have to fix it and Angie is just being Angie. Stay tuned for more There a Hunter in the House?...


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

It was a sound plan. The goal was to act like the old schoolmarm and distract the ghosts long enough to do what they had to do. It was simple enough. However it was unnerving and frightening. The girl looked over after swallowing nervously, "Uh… I don't want to do this."

Dean peeked around along with Cerebus. "I'm right here sweetheart. I got your back and the hell mutt here does too. Trust me, this is gonna work." It sounded like a snow job and in truth it was but Dean was certain that they theory along with Angela's report, this idea was going to work. He just wished that Angela were there since the girl seemed more receptive to her convincing.

The girl nodded as she turned to face the empty room. She could do this even though she would be more comfortable with the woman who convinced her. Even though the glowing eyes thing had been scary, it was not as scary as this. But the cute guy in the leather jacket was there so maybe it wasn't too bad. Looking around she shakily called out, "Boys? Boys? Come here this instant."

Nothing happened and she looked at Dean who was peeking around. He gestured her to continue. The girl took a breath and added in a stronger voice, "You come when I call you. Do you understand me?"

"Miss Gore?"

The girl turned to see three boys looking at her. She was startled since they hadn't been there a minute ago. She felt her breath hitching as she saw them. She wondered what the heck she had gotten herself into and was only assuaged by the fact that Dean was in the hall and ready to come to the rescue.

Dean felt the chill in the air and knew that the brats were there. He even felt Cerebus tense beside him. He patted the dog on the shoulder and held his iron poker ready. So far the girl was doing fine. She was dress liked Gore and all she had to do was pretend to be her to get the brats' guard down and they can get their guys out and back to the cemetery.

"You boys have been very naughty," the girl was saying.

Dean listened to her and thought that she needed to get the fear out of her voice. It was going to work but she needed to stop being scared about the whole thing. Yeah it was scary but she was going to really need to lay it on thick. A brief thought occurred to him as to why he didn't ask Angela to do it.

He had always said that his girl could make a lie seem like the truth and she could put on a convincing act. The best examples were when she turned the tables on him and approached him in a seducing manner. He always fell for it even though he knew that her feelings only extended to brother-sister affection. She was that good. Hell she even played the meek little sister act well too. It worked when he and Sam spent the night in jail in Magic Town.

He never meant to hurt her feelings about the lying and things like that with which he ragged Sam on about. He could understand where she was coming from when she chose to tell her 'war stories' about the jobs she had done. The way he saw it, living as long as she did, she had to change her identity a few times. And the people they had met, they called her different names. Some were variations of her name and others were related to how they saw her.

"Now you open the doors. Open the doors right now!"

Dean blinked as he heard the girl demand the boys to open the doors. _Well at least that would work._ He held his poker and ready to move.

"Very naughty. You hear me? Naughty, naughty, naughty!"

For the moment it looked like the plan was going to work. It should have been enough to get the doors open. That is… until he heard the unmistakable sound of a cell phone going off. Dean stifled a groan. He really should have made sure that her phone was off when they did this. He looked down to find Cerebus looking in the direction of the hall. "Don't you be wandering off now hell on four legs," he hissed in a heated whisper.

At that moment Cerebus took off down the hall and down the stairs, leaving Dean groaning in annoyance. He peeked around to see the girl slowly pull out her cell phone but the damage was done. He saw the boys flicker and they were raising their knives. He came out of hiding and yelled, "Run!"

It was probably a mistake to go up against the three brats alone but that was the job. Dean held his poker like a bat ready to swing. He just hoped that they got out and were making their way towards the cemetery. It certainly was the usual when he was thrown against the wall. He collided with a bookcase and fell to the ground. "Oh that hit the spot," he muttered as he clambered to his feet. He looked at the ghosts and asked, "That all you got?"

"Now we can have lots of fun."

That didn't sound good at all. Dean held his poker up. It didn't do much good since he was thrown against the wall again only this time he ended up dropping the poker. That was a hard hit and Dean shook his head to clear the cobwebs that had formed. One of the brats had gotten close and looked like they were going to send him flying again.

"Stop!"

The three ghosts looked up and even Dean had to look at the tone of voice. Standing in the doorway was Angela. She was staring at the boys and glaring at them. She repeated, "Stop."

Dean raised his brow as he shifted slightly to get up. The ghosts were looking at her as she stared back at them. Slowly she stepped into the room. He wanted to say something but he got the feeling that if he did, he might break the spell.

Angela had no idea what she was doing but went with instinct. She had been patrolling the halls, trying to get in touch with the Gore boy for any kind of help and to make sure no one else was in the halls that could be attacked by the ghosts. She had left Cerebus with Dean and Sam was with the other two to try and pry open the doors when the power of the ghosts was down.

She was wandering through the hall when the Gore boy appeared saying, "You have to stop them."

Angela turned to look at the boy. He was standing there, the gaping wound in his head looking nasty. She replied, "We're working on it."

The boy shook his head and repeated, "You have to stop them."

"What do you want me to do?" Angela stared at the ghost. "I don't exactly have the tools to take down a ghost." She gestured around the place to make a point. "And a knife and chakram don't exactly help in this case."

The ghost looked at her. "You can."

Angela sighed at that. "Look I don't have…"

"You can stop them. You must protect them." The ghost then disappeared in the flicker that was common to ghosts.

Angela sighed at that. Before she could say anything, she sensed the change and… She turned and barked an order, and took off running. She ran through the halls. She saw the girl running towards the stairs and caught her by the upper arms and asked, "What happened?"

"He told me to run."

Angela looked in the direction the girl had come from and nodded, "Then go. Get back downstairs. Stay in the auditorium." She let the girl go and stood up facing the way she had come. She blinked slowly as she started walking towards the room.

"What about you?"

"I'll be just fine."

Angela had no idea what she was doing but she wasn't going to let anything happen to Dean. True she was also going to protect those people since they didn't know that they were poking at a ghost. She knew that the girl did the best she could but the question was what could she do?

_You find a way, Shifaa'. It's what you do._

"Fine time to have your advice come in Setna," Angela muttered as she walked down the hall. She felt nervous but she took the time to school herself into calm. She knew that she needed to show no fear even though she was quivering like jelly inside.

_That and you have what most good leaders desire most._

"Yeah and that is…" Angela rounded the corner. She saw the ghosts and Dean was thrown against the wall. She looked at the ghosts and automatically said in a clear and firm voice, "Stop!"

The ghosts stopped and looked at her. Angela stared back at them and repeated her earlier command. She stared back at them with a firm look. She wasn't going to back down though in front of ghosts… that was a different kettle of fish but it was like any other job. She stood firm and looked at the ghosts. "Enough of this. Open the doors."

"You are not Miss Gore."

"No I'm not but I have low tolerance for your antics." Angela had taken a couple of steps into the room. Her hand slowly went out to the side to warn Dean to stay back. "So enough is enough. Open the doors… Now!" She hadn't meant to but she ended up throwing a little bit of what the boys called her bossy nag demeanor into that.

"Miss Gore wouldn't let us have any fun. Now you won't."

"We want our fun."

Dean took that to mean as a threat. He saw the knives come out and he was on his feet, grabbing the poker. He came at the three ghosts just as Angela shouted at him to stop. The next thing he knew, he was sent flying across the room and pinned to the wall. He lost his poker and two of the boys had come to stand in front of him, ready to scalp him. He lost track of the third one. At the moment his concern was that he was in line for a new haircut and it wasn't going to end up pretty.

He would have almost bought it but he saw the iron poker slash through, warding off the two ghosts. Behind them was Sam wielding the poker. Dean grinned, "Thanks."

They were joined by Angela who was more or less unharmed. She said, "I warned you to stay back."

"Yeah well you try it when it looks like they were going to give you a new do," Dean protested. He put his hands on his hips and took a breath. "What was that about anyway?"

"Explanations best saved for later," Angela replied as she looked around the moment her eyes flared. She scanned the room as her body tensed.

Dean would have said something but Sam was suddenly yanked off his feet and thrown to the ground. His own poker slid out of his reach. He called out, "Sam!" He was about to help his brother when he was also yanked off his feet. He landed on the ground and hard.

Angela looked around and tensed up and said, "Stop it now!"

One of the boys flickered into view and looked at her with a look of loathing. She looked back at him and said, "Enough."

The ghosts reacted by trying to throw Sam and Dean around. Her reaction was automatic as she flung her arms out and caught them. She held them in midair and lowered them. "I mean it you brats. Stop right now!" She looked around waiting for one of them to appear. She had enough of this playing games shit.

"You won't let us have fun."

"No." Angela gave a warning look as she noticed them trying to go after Sam and Dean. She was aware that she was vamping out to the extent that it was just her eyes glowing. She stared at the ghost and called, "Boys, front and center. Now!"

Two of them appeared. They were looking at her and glaring. They pulled out the knives ready to kill. She held out her hand in a stopping motion. "Where is the other?"

They didn't answer but stepped forward. She didn't move but she saw Sam and Dean start to move to try and help. She said, "Don't move." She kept her concentration on the ghosts. "Stop! Stay!"

It was a standoff between the two ghosts and her until she was flung aside. She managed to keep her feet on the ground but she slid along the ground. She hit the wall and came face to face with the third one. At the same time the other two took on Sam and Dean.

One managed to get Dean flat on his back and got on top of him. The other had grabbed Sam by his hair and pulled him down. Angela started forward to help them when the third one pushed her back. She growled and shoved back and hard. It forced her to vamp out to the point that her teeth were showing. She tried to get to Sam but the ghost decided to throw something at her. She growled, "Naughty, naughty, naughty."

It sounded much like Leticia Gore but it wasn't like anyone was going to pay attention. The ghost that came out of nowhere to fight her came at her and she ended up pressed against the wall. She could feel the power of the ghost pressing on her but she pushed back and ended falling to the ground and her hair was being pulled. She gave an elbow and hit the brat and twisted. She did it just in time to grab the wrist of the brat that held the knife.

Sam and Dean were struggling with their own ghosts. Angela gritted her teeth and pushed. She narrowed her eyes and shouted, "Back off!" She shoved and the ghost went flying.

At that moment the ghosts flamed out. Angela let out gulps of air as she got to her feet. She looked around and then at the Winchesters. She then realized that her teeth were out and reeled them back in. She patted Dean's shoulder as she went to help Sam up. She offered a hand and hauled him up when he grabbed her wrist. She was about to pull away but Sam hadn't let go of her wrist. She looked at him and found him looking at her. It had her wondering if she did something to freak him out.

"You know, maybe that guy was right," Dean's voice interrupted. He held up the poker and added, "Maybe we should put these things on a bungee."

Sam and Angela looked at him. Angela was looked at him with a raised brow and became aware that Sam's hand was on her lower back, gentle and firm. Sam, on the other hand, wanted to deck his brother but he couldn't deny his agreement either as he pressed his hand on Angela's lower back.

* * *

Kesset looked around the room as he listened to Chuck talk more about the books. He had to admit that he was rather impressed at the stories they told. Unlike most of the people there, he knew that the stories were real. Well he had no trouble believing that Sam and Dean went through all these things. He did have trouble understanding why they didn't include the one person that was important to the Winchesters.

"The doors are salted. It should be fine."

Kesset turned to look at Kate. He knew that she knew the truth about his world but she never really had been put into the position that the Winchesters and the princess had been. "This is serious, Kate. Spirits are not something to be messed with."

"I know that."

Kesset hummed a bit and shifted in his seat. He was not comfortable sitting for long periods of time in a room full of people that didn't know or understand the world that he was from. It was only made easier with Kate there since she seemed to understand and the major point was that she was accepting of his wings.

Showing her had been a big step. The incident in the dream, he didn't consider as counting as Dean would put it since it was in the dream realm and most people didn't tend to believe it anyway. He had been seeing her since he had been ordered to see her and by his princess. It was a sort of funny story since the order was given by a four year old version of the princess and he was inclined to obey and always did.

Kate wasn't scared of them like he thought. She stared at him wide eyed as she took a breath and showed her his wings. It had been nerve wracking since he had come to like Kate very much. He had no problems with humans since there were plenty of them living at Karnak. The Winchesters were human and he admired them in the way how they dealt with those like him and the princess. They didn't see them as monsters but as beings who wanted to help in protecting humanity. Kate's reaction to his wings was encouraging. It was more so when she stood up and asked if she could touch them.

Kesset was surprised at first but he was willing to let her touch them. He was even more surprised when she asked him to tell her if she was touching them the wrong way. He complied with her request and let her know when she touched a sensitive part but for the most part, she knew what she was doing. It was evident when she gave a slight chuckle and said, "And here I was thinking that the stories my grandpa told me were just stories."

That had Kesset curious. She was still petting his wings at the time so he held still but it was becoming evident that her touch had a different effect on him than when the princess soothed his agitation. He looked straight ahead and replied, "What stories?"

"Oh stories about a race of beings that were considered the best warriors, guardians really. He mentioned something about how only ten stood against an army that was after the royal family of Egypt. They fought until none of the enemy was left."

Kesset was familiar with that story. That was during the days of ancient Egypt. There was a lot in human history that was not there since it involved things that people would thing improbable to near impossible. He ended up correcting her, "Actually one was left. He was found wandering the desert…"

That led to Kate questioning him about the stories. It was opening a can of worms but she wanted to know and he ended up telling a lot about himself. Some he kept to himself. He didn't mention his training as a Royal Guard nor the stories that were told of his father. She didn't press but she didn't judge him either. It made him comfortable enough to introduce him to his world a little more. The first was taking her for a flight.

Looking at her, he said, "I know you know. I still don't know if it was right to show you this world."

"You showed me the day you showed those wings." Kate looked at Kesset and noticed how tense he was. "You're worried."

"I'm nervous," Kesset replied as he shifted uncomfortably. "There are innocent people here and three angry ghosts. And we are locked in."

"And you could break out if you wanted to."

"Maybe but I am not inclined to expose…"

"I'm kidding Kess," Kate replied giving a slight bump with her elbow. She gave a slight grin since she wanted him to know she was just joking. She was taking it serious though. She may not have seen what Kess had seen or even what Sam and Dean had even though she had read the books. Reading about it and experiencing it were totally two different things. "You're worried about her."

"The princess is my charge. The last time I wasn't there…" Kesset cleared his throat. He didn't want to sully this. "Excuse me."

Kate watched as he got up to pace the back of the room. She wasn't jealous. She was concerned about him. She noticed it when he visited her a couple of weeks ago. He was agitated and when he finally told her, he ended up leaving quickly. She spent the time looking through her grandfather's old books and learned a great deal. She spent the time trying to help Kesset and he appreciated it. They also bonded over the _Supernatural_ books since they knew the real Sam and Dean.

She checked to make sure that Kesset didn't decide to go in patrol mode meaning shifting into a form that would probably freak out the people. She also made sure he didn't inadvertently reveal his wings. That was harder to explain though they may think that he was an angel or something. And maybe he would have been mistaken for cosplay considering…

"I fell in love for the first time at sixteen. Lost my virginity actually."

Kate turned back in her seat to see Carver Edlund speaking. She was under the same impression Angela was; he was a little nervous and jumpy. She knew that he was writing the stories of Sam and Dean and she was curious how that happened. Kesset explained that there were people who were chosen to see their life as it played out. He called them Prophets of the Lord.

"But then she went around telling everybody it didn't count so…"

Kate felt for the guy. She knew that he had been put on the spot to keep the people here in the room. She knew the truth and that he was trying. To everyone else, it was like a painful seminar on the logistics of cataloguing species of caterpillars or something like that. She would have liked to help but she had no idea what to do and she doubted that Kesset would be receptive to that. So she sat in her seat and pretended to be interested.

"Uh… Excuse me. You really can't leave. Please, sir."

Kate automatically turned to see one of the hotel staff heading for the exit. She looked around for Kesset and was relieved when he stopped the man and politely asked him to return to his seat. She knew that he was going to be the nice guy he was and didn't have a problem manhandling people. He would rather be pushed aside than manhandle a civilian.

The staff stepped aside and opened the door just as Kesset put a hand on his forearm and someone shouted for them not to open the door. The door was opened anyway. Kate saw the ghost appear and blinked as she stood up in her seat. At that moment, Kesset grabbed the staff and pulled him away just as the ghost pulled out the knife.

At the same time an iron microphone stand came down and through the ghost making him dissipate. Kate blinked when she saw Carver Edlund holding it and moving to shut the door. Kesset had shoved the man away and had turned to give the man moral support as he said, "I said no one leaves, damn it. Now somebody salt this door."

Salt was laid down quickly and Kate was out of her seat to stand next to Kesset. She gave him a peck on the cheek and whispered, "Nice keeping it in control."

"I never liked the man," Kesset admitted in a similar whisper, "But I don't hurt civilians." He looked at the door and then upwards slightly. "Let's just hope that the Winchesters take care of things."

They found out when Kesset told her that it was taken care of. He had explained how most beings could sense the supernatural and how he could. Kate trusted him but she suggested that they wait until they received the all clear from the Winchesters.

* * *

**A/N:** Looks like the ghosts are running amok but there are hunters in the house to save the day. Sort of. Stay tuned for more There a Hunter in House?...


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

The ghosts were gone and that meant that the people were safe. Angela though wanted to take one more look around. It wasn't that she didn't trust that they had been salted and burned. She was just still feeling a little jittery and the chill down her spine… And she was well aware of what she did in there. It was a part of the job yes but she got the feeling that it said a lot more and to the people that mattered most. The last thing she wanted to do was to muddy a talk between the three of them.

It felt cowardly but the excuse of patrolling and checking the floors worked for her to leave and collect her thoughts. She walked through the halls and found one where she could be alone to collect her thoughts. She ran a hand through her hair and massaged her temple.

_You are a unique individual. You are an alpha._

"Yeah right," she muttered to herself. "Alphas are the progenitors of their kind."

_Not that kind of alpha. You are a natural leader._

"I am no leader."

_Why do you think people flock to your banner?_

"Because they are fools to trust in me."

"You know you do have an annoying way of putting yourself down. I can't tell you how many times that just…"

Angela looked up and saw one of the few people that she really didn't like. She sighed and narrowed her eyes at the visitor. "Now I know that something is up otherwise you wouldn't be showing me your sorry ass. What do you want Ares?"

Ares gave a wry grin and chuckled. "Seems to me you've stepped up with the foul language. I like that in my warrior queen."

"And we went through this. I'm not your queen." Angela crossed her arms over her chest. Leaning against the wall was giving blatant disrespect for the Grecian god of war but it didn't faze her a bit. Hell she spit in the face of an angel once and still kicked his ass. "And I am still pissed at what you did at River Pass."

"I merely told you it was familiar. Not my fault you didn't remember. Though maybe I should have considered that War would have made you forget. Only for him to get a fresh look at your reaction." Ares had started pacing back and forth in front of her. There wasn't much room sine it was a hallway but that didn't make a difference. "And maybe because I heard about this shindig."

"Bullshit," Angela countered, "You only come around when it is something or particular importance. Like when you told me what I could do in terms of alternatives."

"Well you got me on that one. But you do know that there are multiple things about you that are considered important to me?" Ares gave a pointed look at Angela that turned into a mocking inquisitive look.

"Like what?"

"Like the fact that you just exemplified one of your unique talents and in an impressive way," Ares replied in his nonchalant manner. "By the way I knew that you could do it. I expected a demon being put in his place but a ghost… incredible."

Angela cleared her throat at that. She started pacing since it would hide her feelings on that. "Yeah and I yanked a kid ghost off me and treated him like I would an adult."

"But that's not the reason you're hiding from this."

"It is part of it." Angela lowered her arms and paced. She glanced at the god of war knowing that it would be futile to lie to him. She could lie to him if she wished but she had no desire to and she was tired. "I'm not ready for this. I haven't really used my powers…"

"You wanna amend that?" Ares raised his brow at her. When she looked at him, he continued, "After all your last…"

Angela raised her brow in return. "You've been spying on me?"

"I keep an eye on all who hold my interest. Besides I've had a longstanding arrangement with Ishtar." Ares looked at Angela after he purposely dropped that bombshell. "Oh I've known about Ishtar's quest for that particular demon. I offered aid…"

"Let me guess, she accepted when you promised her that she would be your warrior queen," Angela interrupted sarcastically. And she actually liked the millennia old woman.

"Actually no," Ares admitted, "She is like you. Stubborn to a fault almost. Wanted nothing to do with me. She said that the demon was her own burden." He frowned like it was confusing and it was on some level. "I like it. Reminds me of you and I told her you were the same as her."

"You talked to her?"

"She called me. You know cell phones are an amazing thing you mortals have even if they are strange."

"Ares."

"Yes I talked to her. I told her that you would most likely do whatever it took to keep the demon away from that which you value." Ares shrugged his shoulders since that was nothing new to him. "Nothing new there. Didn't expect you to…"

Angela narrowed her eyes, not believing the god of war one bit. She stopped pacing and stood to stare at him with that gaze that Sam declared he hated. "Ares, I know you. The only reason you've ever shown up is if it is related to the Apocalypse or something related to me and usually its after something I've done or I need to know. What is it?"

"If you know, then why ask the question?" Ares posited the question returning the stare back. He liked that she wasn't afraid to come out and say what was on her mind. There was a reason for that and it was because of her personality. "You know as well as I that your greatest power is not in those that are characteristic of your people."

Angela stared back at the god. She knew what he meant and she knew what the answer was before she asked the question. It was just one that had to be asked. It wasn't that she didn't know; she did know. She just… it needed to be laid out in front of her. "You mean because I'm… a healer."

"Still having trouble accepting that I see."

"Killers are not meant to be healers, Ares. I am a killer." She pointed at herself to make a point. "They are born, not made but… not me." She shook her head at that.

"And what of Liam and dear Fiona? They're healers too and you don't see them moping and what? You don't think they're killers? Liam is a guardian of your precious school and a werewolf." Ares stood more like a school teacher waiting for the answer. He knew that she needed to think a little. He continued though, "This is a repetitive dance you do and I for one am tired of it. You need to accept who you are and be that person."

"I do. I know I am Absolution and what I have to do." She stood feeling a little defiant and like she was compelled to defend every action she had taken so far. "But that doesn't mean that I'm going to be some dick with wings' doormat."

"Not really what I was asking but it's good that you know what you are here for. At least with regards to the big picture." He gave a slight shrug just to be an ass about things. "And don't get me wrong, you are doing a good job though asking Lucifer to consider you as his vessel… not really the brightest you've ever done."

"But it is possible and is all about what Absolution stands for," she spate back as she crossed her arms with a slight petulant look.

"But you and I both know that there is more to it and I really don't want to talk about it," Ares replied, "What I really want to talk about is the fact that you have what even the most brilliant of leaders crave. Dictators too but we all know how that sentiment goes. Not to mention that part of you that you just love hiding."

Angela said nothing as she stared at the god of war. She knew what he was talking about. She had been stalling and hoping that he would just go away but she knew better. She knew that he wouldn't give up so easily and wouldn't leave until he made a point. That was his way and in a twisted way she appreciated that from him.

Ares knew he had her attention. He had it all the time. He just liked pressing her buttons until she admitted it to herself and out loud. Call it a cruel type of therapy but like the other gods who reveled in war and were patrons of the warriors and champions that defended mortals he understood the importance of people like her and he was pleased that one would humble themselves so much though the self-deprecation was really annoying since she was not like that. Call it a human thing.

Looking at her he saw he had her attention and she wasn't going to speak. He continued, "I know you think that you shouldn't have the power of healers but even the other gods know that they are born and not made. You were born that way and there is no changing that. Not even after you went through the change into your magnificent self." He paused while she snorted at that compliment. He truly thought she was magnificent.

"You would think a freak of nature is magnificent."

"Only the ones that truly exemplify the warrior spirit. And you even convinced two hunters to be just like you," Ares added, "It is still talked about how Sam Winchester was chosen despite the prearranged pairing by Hapi himself and how he defeated Lycan."

Angela was silent on that account. She had been there and occasionally she got a letter from Akira telling her that the stories were circulating again. She had only intended it so that Sam wouldn't have to walk around looking over his shoulder because of a few punks. Then that and then… She shook her head slightly as she stared back at Ares not saying anything.

Ares watched her. He knew she was remembering and thinking about things. Time to cut to the chase, "Oh yes. If he had been in my time he would have made an excellent warriors. What I could have built…"

"And that wouldn't have happened if I were around. And it won't now."

Ares took in the firm look he was getting. It wasn't the same look he had seen before; that territorial business vampires got when a family member was threatened. This was something different and was related to… "Too bad then. Anyway… the point is that you are magnificent. You are a warrior. You are a healer and you are an alpha."

"Not you too," Angela muttered.

"Oh it is so my warrior queen," Ares taunted slightly while laying down the truth. "You are an alpha in the sense of the word. You can command others and they follow willingly. They are drawn to you. Makes sense how the Winchesters have stuck around."

"They have free will," Angela protested. "And they asked me to stay."

"Really?"

Angela shuffled on her feet. She really hated it when Ares nitpicked at things about her. He made it into an art form. Then when he poked fun at you at social gatherings… it was nearly unbearable. And _they_ were considering that she should be paired with him! When did her life become so fucking complicated? Rubbing the back of her neck she replied, "I only came in to help them. They asked me to stay."

"But you and I both know that you have other reasons. You took them under your protection didn't you?"

Angela glared at Ares and crossed her arms over her chest. "Don't go there. I already did what you asked completing the favor for Hibah." She paused and took a breath mostly to calm herself down. She felt like she wanted to make things explode and break. "What do you want from me? I'm doing what I can for this fucking Apocalypse while trying to make things right between two brothers that love each other and still pussy foot around each other for reasons I don't know why."

"And why are you trying so hard? Surely you would have learned your lesson by now. Setna was a good example."

Angela growled and shoved Ares hard until he collided with the wall. He merely laughed at her and dusted himself off. "Well now there is the warrior princess we all know." He straightened up and his expression became somber. "Know this: you are coming into things that maybe should have been worked on centuries before but for whatever reason you are tapping into them now. You best figure out why that is so."

Angela huffed a bit and felt like her lungs were being strangled as Ares walked away. She growled more at the fact that she felt Ares was goading her and all he was doing was pointing out things and in an annoying fashion. "I've always been able to use them. I prefer not to."

"Then why the change? Why suddenly use them when previously you haven't?"

Ares stood there and studied her when she refused to answer. He noticed her subtle shifts of nervousness like she was trying to hide something. He thought about what they had been talking about previously and started putting pieces together. He prompted, "Would it have something to do with the fact that you only use them if a certain Winchester is in trouble."

"I react when any of my strays are in trouble," she retorted a little too quickly.

That told Ares what he needed to know. Sure he suspected it but this was the first time it was clearly laid out. He grinned and replied, "Well I'll be. My princess is grown up."

"I am not your princess."

"Whatever. But I understand."

Angela didn't like that she was feeling very uncomfortable with the situation. "Can you not be an ass for once?"

"Where's the fun in that?" Ares raised his arms in a questioning gesture. He noted her reaction and while lesser gods would have exploited it, he knew where to draw the line… especially since he didn't want to deal with certain gods and goddess that could be easily offended. He held up his hand in a placating gesture, "Alright, fine. My point is, I'm here because you started on a path that there is no turning back though I think you know that. Honest opinion is that you should explain a few things I know honesty is your thing so… And another thing…"

Angela stiffened when Ares got close. She could have struck the god and had done so with others but she didn't. Instead she listened to what the god whispered in her ear.

* * *

"So everything going okay with you?"

Angela turned to see Dean looking at her much like he would if she were four years old and she got her hand caught in the cookie jar. She looked at the elder Winchester and automatically her eyes searched for Sam. She picked out Kesset but…

Dean noticed she was searching and raised his hand while closing his eyes to exhibit his patience, "Relax. Sam's not here. He's with those two guys and hell on four legs." He watched as she relaxed slightly and asked, "What's wrong Angie? You've been all over the board and some of it I know is because Becky touched Sam."

"Ah…"

"I know a jealousy spat when I see one. And I've had practice watching Sam." He gave a slight smile.

Angela wasn't really amused but she wasn't put out either. She merely stared at Dean. She knew that she was _that_ transparent with him and he knew her secret. So what he said was the truth.

Dean knew she wasn't in the mood and his smile dropped. "Angie, what's wrong?"

Angela looked down at nothing and then asked, "Is it really worth it… considering everything that we anticipate of this job?"

"Why the hell you asking that?" Dean felt the need to ask since this was most unusual from her. Granted that being a hunter sucked at times and theirs especially since they had the Apocalypse hanging over their heads. He liked to think that if she and Sam found some happiness, then it was okay. It was rare for hunters and it wasn't like they had to dance around the secret of hunting things. They both knew the job so that wouldn't be a strain between them. No this was something else. "Why are you asking?"

Angela sighed. Maybe it was a bad idea to say something like that. She really had to stop letting Ares dropping harsh realities bother her so much. Sure she could act like a tough girl at times but… "Just that… Ares came by."

"When?"

"When I was double checking the place. And I'm sorry about that. I just had to be sure. The whole place had me feeling like I was back in the Morton house again."

"Was it that bad?" Dean could afford to lay off a little. It wasn't like she was being a malicious bitch. She was the one that did things that make them seem like grade-A douchebags.

Angela rubbed her upper arms more out of reaction to what she said since it brought back that memory. "Just the chill. They had been there a long time and… it appeared after you roasted Leticia." She saw the look and continued, "And as I said before, you couldn't have known. Even I would have made a similar mistake."

"You don't have to be so nice about things."

"But it is the truth. You know that I 'tell it straight' to you."

Dean made a slight face at that since he essentially said that as much. He nodded, "Yeah you do. Still Angie…"

"Just what I did. I mean the whole actually being like the old hag herself."

Dean knew what she had meant by that. He had seen for himself the way she charged in there and just demanded that they stop. And it looked like it worked there. He just had to be stupid enough to move and give the impression that he was going to attack. "Well it was pretty impressive. I didn't think that you going all bossy nag would work on ghosts."

"I didn't either." Angela gave a slight smile as she shuffled her feet. "I just… It felt like I was disciplining unruly children and nothing like when I had to referee you and Sam." She chuckled as she remembered those times since it was funny when Dean tried to boss her and he was in his ten year old body and she was in her teens and she was taller than he was.

Dean chuckled at that since he thought it was pretty funny himself. "Well it was impressive and…" He sobered quickly and continued, "What you did… It was I don't know… awesome and it makes me want to know what else you can do."

"I don't think I want to be showing them too often. It attracts the wrong sort." Angela cleared her throat. "And I kind of… I don't like using them and it has more to do with my time in hell."

Dean nodded at that. He didn't need her to go into detail since she told him about her time in hell and he just had to imagine his time and maybe it was ten times worse for her. "And I get it but… now it's like you just go with it."

"It's… it's like first instincts. Even with skills honed to do specific things and they are first reaction," Angela paused as she thought about how to word it. She then continued, "Instincts are what we fall back on when we are on our last leg. What I did, just walking in there… I had no logic to it. No plan."

"It looked like you did."

"I know but… when I sensed you were in trouble, I called for Cerebus to help the two fan boys and came up myself. There was no logic to that." Angela looked downward with a puzzled frown on her face. She knew what she did and what it felt like but it was still strange to her and she still didn't like what Ares told her. "I looked in the room, saw the boys and then… I just did it. I didn't know if it would work but it felt right. You get those?"

"Plenty though not the way you do it," Dean admitted. "One time I was chasing a chupracabra and I had everything by the book to go after it but… something told me to do it differently." He shifted on his feet to study her. It dawned on him that there was more to her line of questioning and thoughts than meets the eye. For once he wished he was quick on the draw like Sam. Sam would have figured out something was up or nag at him to just listen and that sometimes it wasn't what she said but what she didn't say that was important. "Like you said we all have it… and I think you went with first reaction. Am I right?"

"Maybe." Angela shuffled on her feet. "I do have a habit of reacting badly when people I care about are hurt… or worse." She cleared her throat. She wasn't overly proud that she gave herself away so much because her heart ran deep. She liked to think that she had a kind heart but it was hard to keep it from being overshadowed by how she saw herself because of the things she had done.

"And if you didn't… me and Sam would have had worse ten times over countless times," Dean countered. "And it ain't your fault about me and Sam dying. You hear me."

"I hear ya. You're screaming at me," Angela teased. She appreciated Dean's blunt honesty. "Just that… I fear that what is instinct might not be distinguishable with the urge to defend what is mine and…"

"You're not going to be a crazy assed Fallen. Not ever," Dean affirmed. He pointed at her emphasize his point. "Not on our watch."

"You're sweet."

"Sweet is for kids." Dean made a slight noise since he was a little uncomfortable with the term of affection since it made him feel like he was ten years old again. He looked at her and continued, "Angie, you're not gonna scare us away with this. Not even Sam."

Angela stared at Dean as he turned to walk away and leave her with her thoughts. She hadn't really voiced it but Dean picked up on it. She wanted to believe it fully but she was hesitant and she knew that they would only take so much of it. She leaned against the wall and bumped the back of her head against it. _Some fucking hunter I am._

* * *

**A/N:** Well the ghosts are gone but there are a few things to tie up and Ares pays a visit. Stay tuned for next time on There a Hunter in the House?...


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

Morning didn't come soon enough and the police were there to take the body of the guy who played Hook Man away. It was easy to give a story that would sell thought privately Angela thought that given that most of the attendees there had seen a real ghost… it was going to be a tough sell. She took a few steps to stand on the porch and survey what was going on.

"You have done a good thing, princess."

Angela gave a slight smile, "You're really going to have to work on what you say in public, Kess." She turned to look at the Avian as he surveyed what was going on. "Not everyone understands the old ways or even knows about them." She looked back to survey the crowd.

"I know that but it doesn't mean that I should disrespect you," Kesset replied. "You've earned that right."

Angela's lip twitched into a half smile. She glanced at the Avian and said, "You've always been bluntly honest and it's not the oath talking."

"I chose to take the oath because of what people said of my father. I didn't like what others thought of my kind."

"Misunderstanding is a problem." Angela leaned against the railing as she looked around. She was not worried about the police since she more or less hid in the crowd and became a non-entity. "Often people get a clouded view of things because a few things went wrong. They refused to believe me when I told the truth about what happened then."

"And I don't blame you Shifaa'. You went to save him." Kesset looked at her. "You are what you are and it's you. Nothing will change that."

"You certain about that?"

"My father said once that nothing in life is certain. You take what comes at you and in the end figuring things out is the only freedom anyone will ever have. I think you call it free will?"

Angela chuckled at that as she leaned on the railing. "You know I think you know more about humans than you care to let on. And the cute clueless Avian is a cover. You sly dog." She gave a wry grin to tease the Avian though it would probably be lost on him.

"I don't understand how a dog could be sly. Yours is a sneaky bastard."

Angela snorted at that. She couldn't disagree with that. She looked down at Cerebus who joined them and murmured, "That he is. But a good hell's bitch." She rubbed the dog's shoulder and patted it. "Wouldn't want anyone else."

"You always seem to bring out the best in people, princess." Kesset turned to look at her. "It's what you do. You fight but always something good comes out of it. Even if you don't see it."

Angela looked at Kesset. She knew that the Avian wouldn't lie to her. Even without the Oath of Veracity, he would tell the truth. She didn't know why she had trouble believing others who wouldn't lie to her either. "The faith you have in me… sounds a little like hero worship."

"No." Kesset peered at her much like a bird looked at the world. "Just what I've observed since I was asked to watch over you." His head moved slightly as he added, "A champion of people… and that is a rare thing even among those that earned that title."

"Better watch out Kess. Kate might get jealous," Angela teased.

"Oh most definitely," Kate entered as she wrapped an arm around Kesset's arm. "I may not growl away my competition but I can put up a good look." She grinned at Angela to indicate she was teasing.

"Yes the evil stare. But it is much more fun to mock while still being polite." Angela looked at Kate. "Beats wanting to rip off limbs." She leaned on the railing, well aware that she was baring her feelings to a complete stranger and an Avian who really knew how to make things sound simpler than they really were. And yet she really couldn't tell how she felt to the one person she wanted to.

"Any woman would get that way when her man is touched by another and it is obvious of her attraction," Kate offered. She gave a shrug of her shoulders. She really didn't have an idea of what was going on but she had seen Sam and Dean during the convention wandering around and she noticed the way Sam looked very uncomfortable around a blonde that made eyes at him. "But the alternatives work too. You often find that you can live with yourself."

"I take it this dude caused a ruckus?" Angela gestured at Kesset who was looking a little confused but he had the faint hints of a blush on his face but it was funny because he was still keeping a straight face. "You can count on it."

"Only mild ones," Kate replied as she hugged Kesset's arm. "Can't just resist the cute clueless look."

"Your attempts at embarrassing me will come to no end," Kesset said.

"Your face says otherwise," Angela pointed out with a grin.

"I could say the same about you."

Angela raised her brow in appreciation at Kesset's comeback. She nodded a little at that. "Never pegged you to hit hard Kess. But I see your point."

Kesset gave a slight nod. He hadn't wanted to bring that up but he felt compelled to. He had observed much of his charge especially when she was small and up to the events that occurred recently. He saw many things and he came to some conclusions. Some of it he already knew but others were a discovery and he was happy about it. There was nothing he would like more than to see what was supposed to be to happen.

Kate observed the interaction and added two and two together to make five. It fit based upon the responses from their conversation. Most people would have thought Angela was a cynic about jealousy but Kate saw it for what it was and that it was the truth. She said, "I guess this kind of opened eyes for some of us didn't it? I mean seeing what you and Sam and Dean do…"

Angela looked at Kate and blinked with a slight smile. "It's the job. It's what we do."

"I figured. It's why I thanked Dean for what you guys do. I can't imagine the life you lead and yet… you seem happy to do it."

"I wouldn't say that it's all sunshine and rainbows." Angela cleared her throat slightly. "But it's a good life. I mean making people safe from a world the vast majority of them don't know about. It's thankless at times but… it's a good one."

It was the yearbook answer. Angela had decades to centuries to come up with that one. True that it was a fulfilling life in helping people and saving them but it was not a pretty life. It was dark and ugly at times. She would know since she had been to hell and back literally and figuratively. She had seen horrible things and done horrible things so that people could live their lives without worry and for the most part they didn't even know about it.

It wasn't all bad. The greatest thing she discovered was how she truly felt about the Winchesters and Sam in particular. And that was what had her throwing up walls like a scared little girl. She was used to putting on the brave face and the mask that was the people's Absolution.

Kate studied Angela and gave a subtle signal to Kesset, gently and silently asking that he leave them alone. When the Avian left, she sidled up next to Angela and stood there. They stood silently, leaning against the railing of the porch. Finally Kate said, "You don't have to hide from me. I won't tell but I want you to know that you have a good thing."

It was on the tip of her tongue to lie to Kate. It was second nature for Angela. She didn't want to and instead replied, "Brave new world and it's a scary thing. Has me terrified."

"I figured. Everyone has this image of Absolution. Even the books portray you as a mysterious character." Kate paused and looked to see Angela looking at her. "I read the books and I figured out a few things. The details about Absolution are scarce but the clues are there and it's you."

"Well at least I know how some fans figured it out," Angela chuckled in reply. She clasped her hands together as she looked to see Dean talking to the two guys that she had met and looked at her like they had seen a ghost. No pun there. "And it works in your favor that I like you."

"Glad to know, kid," Kate replied, letting it slip. She turned to look at what Angela was watching and continued, "Just know that what I read… it's only the part that people see and what gives them hope."

"You've got a lot of insight. You sure you're not spying on me?"

Kate chuckled a little at that. "Let's just say that I remember a little girl with tawny eyes that was given to me to keep an eye on. You were cute."

Angela turned to look at Kate. She raised her brow. "You know me?"

"Took me awhile to figure it out after I met you but I put it together." Kate shrugged her shoulders. "I have to thank you. You were the one that introduced me to Kess."

Angela took in the information and thought about it. She didn't remember any of that and she regretted it. She would have liked to remember that introduction and it would have been good material to tease the Avian. She admitted quietly, "I actually don't remember that."

Kate nodded in understanding, "Kess mentioned something like that. He was disappointed. Something about the princess not remembering how her suitor made her feel." She had uttered it in a low tone so as to keep anyone being a busybody from hearing. "I find it a shame."

"I know." Angela shifted her gaze to see Becky talking to Sam. She tensed slightly as she saw it but continued to watch the scene. She realized that the demeanor was different and relaxed slightly.

Kate noticed the whole thing and it only confirmed what she was suspicious of. She gave a slight smile as she watched and glanced over where Kesset was standing and looking like he was just a spectator. She looked back at Angela and studied her demeanor. "Steps have to be taken but… you know that."

"I know."

"It's a scary ride. Believe me I know but…" Kate paused as she straightened up. "I think you'll find a way. You seem to be the kind to do that even when the shit gets tough. I think it's why people like you and remember what you do."

Angela listened, getting the feeling that Kate's words held a double meaning and they were related to each other. She appreciated it from the woman. She had to ask, "Even when it brings more harm than good?"

"I'd like to think that you're the kind of person that would exhaust every possible option and if you have to go down that road, at least you know what you're in for." Kate pushed away from the railing. She stretched slightly since that night had been an interesting one. "Though it would be wise to give the choice to others. They know risks too and to deny them choice…"

Angela nodded, "I know. It's just hard when you are willing to go through hell and then some just to keep that something good safe."

"And I think you know what that is. Just take a leap of faith. I'd think that if you don't it will be your biggest regret." Kate started to go down the steps since it was time that she and Kesset left. "Well I guess we better get going."

"Go easy on Kess," Angela teased while giving a look that conveyed what she truly meant. "I don't want to try and explain his battle scars to his superiors." She didn't know how much Kate knew about Kesset's position but she chose what felt safe.

Kate chuckled and replied, "I think I'd feel sorry for the guys that get in his way." She sobered and added, "He does care about you."

"I know but not as much as someone I just met… again." Angela smiled and gave a slight toss of her head. She felt better about that whole experience. There was still a few things to work out but the pep talks helped. She walked down to locate the Winchesters so they could leave and get back on the road. She ended up running into Dean and the two guys that she met.

* * *

Another case was done and Dean was glad that they would be leaving soon. A plausible story was given to the cops regarding the Hook Man's death. After all, who would believe a ghost story? And he had to admit that they couldn't have done it without the two guys that he and Sam gave a dose of reality to. He got to say that to them as they followed him out of the hotel as he went to look for his brother and Angela, "You know, I gotta hand it to you guys. You really saved our asses back there." He paused to allow them to catch up. "So uh, you know… thanks." He held out his hand

The two fans took his hand and gave a shake. It really had been an experience for them. The one playing Sam said, "Well your dog did most of the digging. I gotta admit that we've never seen a dog dig that fast."

Dean felt his mouth twitch. These two had touched the tip of the iceberg. They had no idea what his world contained. He doubted that they would believe that Cerebus was a full blooded hell hound and had just decided to play daddy hell hound and with a Wilder no doubt. It was still something to wrap his head around and the fact that there were going to be more dogs… He couldn't help but give a slight chuckle as he replied, "Well… Hell I don't even know your names."

The one playing Sam introduced himself, "Oh. Well I'm Barnes." He then gestured towards his partner, "And this is Damien. What's yours?"

Dean paused a moment on how to word that. Better to tell the truth. "Dean. The real Dean."

The reaction had Dean raise his brow slightly as Barnes and Damien stared at him and then burst out laughing. Damien said, "Yeah right! Me too!"

_Should have known that they would have thought I was messing with them. I'll be glad to leave this place._ Dean kept his thoughts to himself as he shared a slight laugh with them. He felt his smile was forced when Barnes joked with him, "Get the hell. Outta here Dean." _Definitely want to put this place in the rearview mirror._

Dean though was grateful for their help. Even though Angela had come through and managed to buy some time with her alpha thing going on, they were the ones that salted and burned the brats' remains. They were the ones that saved everybody. "Well anyway… thanks. Really." He gave a wave and started to walk away.

"You're wrong you know."

Dean paused and turned to look back. "Sorry?" He frowned a little, not sure what Damien meant by that.

"About _Supernatural_," Damien replied. He shuffled a little on his feet. "No offense but… I'm not sure you get what the story's about."

Dean shifted to face them. "Is that so?"

At that moment Angela joined them and she merely stared at the scene, not saying anything. It encouraged Damien to continue after he got over his moment of fan boying out, "Alright look. In real life… he sells stereo equipment." He gestured at Barnes before pointing at himself and added, "I fix copiers. Our lives suck.

"But to be Sam and Dean… to wake up every morning and save the world… to have a brother who would die for you… to have a friend, a complete stranger, do something for you with no thought of reward… well who wouldn't want that?" Damien shrugged his shoulders at that. He looked at Angela who was looking like she was deep in thought.

"Maybe you have a point," Angela said softly. "There are good points to the story. And I for one think that it is a good one."

Dean thought about it for a moment. They did have a good thing going. It was just easy to look at the dark and bad things since they always seemed to be hit with it. Yet the best thing that happened to him and Sam was standing next to him and he got the feeling that she was inclined to think the same. He nodded in agreement, "You know, you two don't make a bad team yourselves. How do you know each other anyway?"

"Oh we met online," Barnes offered. He looked at Angela a little sheepishly as he added, "_Supernatural_ chat room. We got to talking about Absolution and we both agreed that Absolution was a girl and should be paired with Sam."

"Oh," Angela replied, her featured twisting into a smile, much to Dean's surprise. "I read the books and there isn't much to go on."

"Well it's there. And the way how Absolution and Dean talk to each other…" Damien shrugged his shoulders. "Well it's there and she's not a literary device. She is needed whether she knows it or not."

Dean listened to the conversation with interest. He was surprised that his girl wasn't reacting like she usually did. Maybe she did think about things or she was just still playing the fan card with them. He gave a chuckle as he nodded, "Well it must be nice to get out of your parents' basement… make some friends."

"We're uh… more than friends," Damien said as he took Barnes hand. "We're partners."

Dean blinked at that but Angela didn't seem to mind. She merely smiled at that and joked, "Howdy partners."

Barnes had put his head on Damien shoulders as they joked back. Damien said, "Maybe see you around."

"Maybe," Angela replied with a smile as she and Dean turned to walk away. When they were a distance away, she said, "You know they do make a cute couple."

Dean looked at her like she had gone insane. "What poison have you been drinking?"

"Whiskey, port and some concoction that the barkeep said was beer," she answered with a slightly puzzled frown but it was ruined by the slight smile that creeped at the corner of her mouth. She looked at Dean and noted the expression and added, "Dean, I may not swing that way but I don't condemn either. You'd be surprised at how much I saw when I was growing up. And I thought it was normal."

"You'd think brothers and sisters kissing on the mouth is normal," Dean groused but it was halfhearted.

"Now that was a cover and you know it," Angela pointed out. "Besides it's plain gross and the whole thing with the Borgias… eww." She shuddered a bit but she was still grinning. She sighed as they walked to the car and paused to lean against it.

Dean joined her and they sat side by side while they waited for Sam. He glanced at her and asked, "The Borgias eh?"

"You don't wanna know."

Dean chuckled at that. He liked it when she mentioned something about her past lives as much as Sam did. Half the time though he didn't know if she was kidding or not because of the way she mentioned it. Then again it was part of the fun and it was like an unspoken game between them. It also was a subtle signal that she was feeling better about whatever had been bothering her. "So… you feel any better?"

"A little. Just a lot going on."

"Understatement I think."

Angela hummed a bit on that. She crossed her arms over her chest as she leaned against the Impala. "I'm in agreement on that one. You can take a picture of it."

Dean snorted at that since she loved teasing him when he made a point of being right or she agreed with him on something they were at odds on. He sobered and asked, "So you really think those two got it right?"

Angela looked at the ground to think a moment and then looked at Dean. "I like to think so. At least as far as you and Sam are concerned. I guess we live pretty exciting lives compared to theirs but I think the point was… that you and Sam especially show that you go through thick and thin and the lengths you'll go for each other… I can see why."

"And you're taking yourself out of the equation again."

"Not really." She thought about it for a moment since she wanted to choose her words carefully. She didn't want Dean to take it the wrong way since the way she saw it did sound… "Don't take it the wrong way but… for the most part I would gladly give my life for someone else to save them. But for some… it's different and that list is very small. I would go through hell and back and even down that slippery slope if it meant keeping them safe. I mean I was willing to go back to hell to save you." She gave a slight shrug of her shoulders.

"I know but it wasn't just for me was it?"

"At the time, yes and then… It was more of one and the same." Angela shifted a little. "But…"

"Kind of like you can get a salute from anyone on a ship but you need the shoulder thing."

Angela nodded, impressed at Dean's inside and noted it, "I'll admit that I'm impressed Dean. But yeah pretty much that but different you know?"

"Well at least you can admit it," Dean muttered, getting where she was coming from. "Just wish you'd tell Sam." He regretted it the moment he said it but he knew that this could get ugly and not go the way that it should. "Look just saying that you let it keep, it might not go as nice."

Angela looked at Dean. She knew he was right and what everyone else had been telling her was right. She was being too stubborn for her own good and she was scared. It terrified her even though she looked like the stoic bitch she was known as. "I know. Just…"

"I get it. Just being big brother."

"Good. Because I'd hate for you to be anything but that." Angela smiled and gave a shoulder bump. "What about you? You okay?"

Dean looked at her and thought about it for a moment. "Yeah. I think so."

They sat there side by side until Sam came to join them. Dean motioned for everyone to get into the car and barely asked, "Where's hell on four legs?" when Cerebus came up and into the back seat when the door was opened. They were on the open road once again.

* * *

**A/N:** Looks like another case is wrapped up but wait... Y'all have to stay tuned for the conclusion of There a Hunter in the House?...


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

Sam for one was glad to be done with this. The job was done and he had his full of watching people pretend to be him and Dean or other people and things that they met along the way the last few years. He was doubly glad that he wasn't going to see anymore of Becky. The girl made him uncomfortable and he was concerned about Angela.

He wasn't going to pretend that he hadn't noticed that she actually used her powers to save him and Dean; it was weird being suspended like that and not be put in a position where their bodies felt like they were being crushed, but welcome. And she managed to partially talk down the ghosts. He saw the hesitation much like when she did the same to the demon possessing Julia. Then she disappeared afterwards and he got the feeling that it was the way he looked at her or he may have touched her inappropriately when he put his hand on her back and that put the nasty thought he may have screwed things up.

Now that they were about to leave and he was trying to figure out what to do about it. And he was waylaid by Becky. Being the nice guy, he listened to her though he had to wonder where she got her ideas from.

"Look Sam," Becky said, "I'm not gonna lie. We had undeniable chemistry. But like a monkey on the sun, it was too hot to live."

Sam merely blinked at that. He really didn't know what planet the girl was on and he wasn't inclined to be mocking about it. He merely let Becky have her say.

"It can't go on. Chuck and I... we found each other. My Yin to his proud Yang. And well, the heart wants what the heart wants. I am so, so sorry."

"Yeah Sam. You know, sorry," Chuck added from where he was standing beside Becky.

Sam couldn't really care less. He wasn't into Becky and as far as he was concerned Chuck could go out with her. _His_ interests were with a woman who was tougher than he and Dean combined and yet was like a skittish deer when it came to friends and relationships but had a kind heart that never failed to put others before herself to the point that it scared him. Put that way made it sound like he was pathetic but he couldn't really deny how he felt about her and… Looking at Becky and Chuck, he put on his best sighing face and nodded, "Yeah."

"Will you be all right?" Becky looked at Sam with a look of concern.

Sam was going to be just great if he never had to see her again but he had to play along. Sighing he replied, "Honestly, I don't know. I'll just have to find a way to... keep living. I guess." _Yeah I already did and I'm not even sure if I screwed that up._

Becky smiled big, "God bless you." She smiled at Chuck.

Sam watched the exchange and was rather glad that he had one less thing to worry about. He looked at Chuck and said, "Alright, well hey – Chuck, if you really wanna publish more books, I guess that's okay with us."

"Wow. Really?"

_Yeah right._ "No not really. We have guns and we will find you. Especially if you put in Angie."

Chuck's eyes widened at that and raised his hands in surrender, "Okay, okay. No more books." He cleared his throat and managed to add, "And for the record…" He saw Sam's expression and backed off. No way was he going to touch that one and only cemented the fact that he had seen a scene between Sam and Absolution in one of his visions and it was suggestive…

Sam made sure that Chuck understood about the books and then turned to leave. "See you around." _Hopefully not for a long time._

He was barely a few steps away when Becky suddenly called out, "Sam! Wait!" He turned to see her running to catch up with him. He silently hoped that she wasn't going to do anything that… "One more thing! In chapter 33 of Supernatural, 'Time Is On My Side', there was that girl Bela, she was British, and a cat burglar?"

_More than that_, Sam thought to himself as he interrupted, "Yeah. I know." _And Angie almost didn't want to help her out._

"She stole the Colt from you, and then she 'said' she gave it to Lilith, remember?"

Sam nodded. He did remember that. It pissed them all off and Angela was ready to curse the woman. And he believed she would. Now after seeing what she could do, he didn't have trouble believing that. "Yeah."

"Well you know she lied right? She never really gave it to Lilith," Becky continued in that fast valley girl manner. She gave a slight frown.

"Wait. What?" Sam looked at Becky, not certain if he heard right.

"Didn't you read the book?"

_Not all of them._ Vaguely it occurred to Sam that maybe Angela would have read them all cover to cover. She would mostly for the entertainment value and maybe she would have picked up a few things and then probably would have gone after Bela. It made him grateful Chuck didn't put his demon blood sucking thing in them.

Becky, unaware of Sam's internal monologue continued, "There was this one scene where Bela gives the Colt to a demon named Crowley, Lilith's right hand man. I think her lover, too."

Sam looked at Becky, "Crowley." He then looked at Chuck and asked, "It didn't occur to you to tell us this before?" He was aware his tone took an irritated turn.

Chuck was not in the mood to have an angry Sam on him and in turn have the vengeful virago on him and in that freaky scary way. He ended up stammering a little, "I'm sorry. I didn't remember." When Sam continued to stare at him he added, "I'm not as big a fan as she is." He gestured towards Becky.

That wasn't important. What was important was the fact that now they had a lead on the Colt. The Colt was the only thing that could kill just about anything apart from Angela's sword and a few other things she owned. There was a chance here… at least with one more tool in the arsenal. He looked at Becky and said, "Becky, tell me everything."

It didn't take long since Sam was insistent on no tangents. He got the scoop on the demon Crowley and thanked Becky for what she knew. He went towards the Impala and found Angela and Dean sitting on the car and they appeared to be enjoying whatever conversation they were having. It had him relieved that she was looking better… relieved actually.

He walked up and asked, "You okay?"

Dean looked at Angela and then at his brother and said, "We're good."

"Yeah," Angela added, "We're good."

Sam wasn't going to press his luck in front of his brother. He'd rather take the time to figure out things and with her… if she was willing. He did manage to give a smile at her before going into what he found, "Well you're not going to believe this but I got a lead on the Colt."

"Really?" Angela perked up and stood up the moment Sam mentioned the lead on the Colt. At the same time Dean straightened up and asked if Sam was serious.

"Yeah," Same replied, "Long story but… I'll you on the way."

"Sounds good," Dean replied as he opened the door to the driver side. "Where is hell on four legs?"

Angela whistled and Cerebus came running and jumped into the backseat and took his usual place. She looked at them and shrugged her shoulders. "So… what are we waiting for?"

The drive headed towards nowhere as Dean picked a direction and drove. Once they were down the road, Sam filled them in on what Becky told him about the Colt. It was a moment before Dean said, "So this demon Crowley has the Colt."

"Yeah."

"Okay. So we gotta think of a way to find this demon and get the Colt. Seems simple," Dean said with more confidence than he felt. It seemed monstrous that they had to locate the demon and then gank the bastard, get the Colt and find and kill the devil.

Sam knew that there was a lot more to it and voiced, "We have to find the demon first."

Dean knew that and that they had a couple of options. One he knew he and Sam would protest against. Sam, because of a longstanding dislike going back to when Dean went to hell. For Dean, it was what he had seen when they were looking for Angela. The other was probably the more acceptable option. "Right. We need to go over our options. Got anything Angie?"

When Angela didn't respond, Sam twisted in his seat to find that she had just drifted off to sleep. While it was usual for her to have a cat nap, Sam could see that it was full on sleeping. It had him wondering if taking full on hunting right away was too soon since she had just been given leave to take off that boot thing and Fiona pronounced her fully healed. Sam knew she would want to be involved with the plan. He said, "She's asleep."

Dean shifted to look in the rearview mirror to confirm that she was asleep. She was leaning against the dog and Cerebus was looking pleased with himself. He made a slight face but it was halfhearted. "Alright so… we get Cas to look in and…"

"Dean. She'll want a say."

"I know that. Just lay down a plan and let her think about it. It might impress her that we thought about a plan without her involved." Part of it was teasing and part of it was an impatience to get a plan that Castiel deemed to be foolish underway. He really believed that if they could wave this off early, then there didn't have to be a showdown.

Sam glanced back at Angela sleeping as he thought about things. As much as he didn't want to admit it, he wanted to have something planned or at least in the works. In a way it was taking one more burden off her shoulders and not taking her for granted. He nodded, "I know."

"Okay so we Cas on board. Definitely Bobby." Dean paused. Someone had to say it and he knew Sam wouldn't. "And we should… consider Cary."

"No."

The answer was expected and Dean knew that if he argued recent events, Sam would listen but it didn't mean that he would automatically be on board. He sighed, "Sam, Cary is a demon."

"Yeah and it was a mistake to go to him the last time." Sam had been anticipating this argument. He kept his voice low since he didn't want to wake Angela. "Not again."

"Sam… Angie said it herself. The guy's a crossroads demon. A low guy on the totem pole but he's still one of them." Dean knew he was really stretching it since he knew Sam's beef was that the demon betrayed their girl and then what he had almost caused with Kesset… Still it was an option and it had to be said. "He can find out what is going on. I know you don't like him…"

"Understatement."

"Whatever. Cas is good but Cary is our man on the inside. But that is if he is agreeable to helping." Dean made a slight adjustment on the road. "I don't think he likes you very much."

Sam made a slight snort at that. "Feeling is mutual." He was quiet for a moment. The plan had some merit to it. And they may need to go onto that. "I just don't like the idea Dean. What happened with Austin… that could happen again. And…" He paused a moment and then continued, "I know we have anti possession but… I wouldn't put it past Cary to get past that."

Dean read between the lines on that one. He understood and nodded, "I don't think Cary would try it especially if Angie were there. She's scary as hell when she gets her dander up. But it's kind of cool in that sexy way."

Dean took the look Sam shot him and gave a slight smile. He loved getting Sam's dander up when it came to his feelings about their girl. He would lay off for now. He started laying out a potential idea while he drove the Impala down the highway. By the time Angela woke up, they had the beginnings of a plan.

* * *

_The night was dark and the moon cast its shadows along the ground. The trees looked like terrifying beings with their branches twisted into terrifying arms. The mist clung to the ground and reminded her of the job she was on before she was asked to do a job with Christian. It was perfect for those old scary movies._

_ She walked through the darkness, her feet crunching lightly on the leaves that had fallen. She looked around. There were man and women standing there but still as statues. She blinked as the scene before her flickered like static and for a moment the sky was a clear grey and the men and women were replaced by reapers. It then reverted back to what it was previously and she saw that the men and women had the familiar black eyes of demons. The scene flickered again and the reapers appeared again and then disappeared._

_ She looked to find them all facing the same direction. She turned to see a rather large mound and realized that she was standing on a hill. She looked around and didn't recognize the place but it was a fairly good sized town and she got the feeling that was familiar like when she fought in wars. She looked around until her eyes lighted on what was on the hilltop._

_ He was there and covered in dirt and blood and he was grinning that overbearing charming smile. She knew who he was and she glared back. That only made him seem to want to smile more tauntingly. He wasn't completely looking at her but at the hill so she climbed it to see what he was looking at and found that she was staring at a big hole in the ground. The scene then flickered to reveal the inside of a building and she saw bloody bodies._

_ The scene flickered back to the hole in the ground and then it changed again. It was like she quickstepped to the middle of the hole but she was in the building and looking around made her realize that it was a hardware store. She looked down and saw… She voiced protest and reached out but then they were gone and in place at the center of the hole was a man in black. He looked old and she got the feeling that he was old and he felt familiar._

_ "Hello, Death," a taunting voice resounded._

_ She turned to look and saw the man in black and the devil looking at each other. The scene then changed again and she was back in the hardware store. She saw them on the ground. She opened her mouth to cry out but no sound came out._

_ "Hello… Malachi…_

Angela's eyes shot open and her breathing increased a little bit but she slowed it down to prevent her from hyperventilating. Her eyes looked around the darkened room and realized they were back at the motel. And… she heard a gentle and strong beat that was overly familiar and she felt the slight curling of fingers near the base of her spine. She could feel it through her shirt and it was soothing and made her reluctant to get up but she did.

Gently she pushed up from where she had been resting her head on Sam's chest, praying that he wouldn't wake up and continue to sleep. She did feel his arm tighten around her slightly as if he were refusing to let her go. She gently loosened his grip and slid out of bed and looked around, thinking that something was off even though things were okay with Dean asleep in the bed closest to the door and cuddling with Cerebus.

"Interesting."

Angela whirled around when she heard the voice and came face to face with Lucifer. She stared at him, not giving away the sudden onslaught of fear that struck her spine. She stood there looking at the devil and said, "Having trouble still?"

"What can I say? We found you once and then you…" Lucifer made a gesture like she poofed and disappeared. "It's hard to find you."

"And for good reason," she replied as she crossed her arms over her chest. "And don't think that you are going to get away with tormenting Sam. I know about your nightly visits."

"How could I forget," Lucifer replied as he grinned at her while appraising her. "You interfered on one and then gave the tempting offer of yourself."

Angela remembered that. She had done it because she knew it was possible. She had essentially demon blood in her but she was half human. She didn't spare a glance at Sam or Dean asleep on their beds since that would give things away and that was the last thing she wanted to do. It was hard but she replied in the same cool voice, "And the offer still stands. I can be your vessel and I volunteer for it but I will only grant the word at a certain place and time."

Lucifer started chuckling and he wagged his finger at her. "You really are something my sweet. Azazel said that as much and was why I had him go after you." He paused as he grinned and then hummed, "You know I admire your willingness to protect humanity. It is sweet but also obscene. And in the end it means nothing because you would do it for anyone and ten times over."

"Well that is what I have going for me," Angela replied with a slight shrug. She hoped that this 'meeting' wouldn't last. She wanted to go back to sleep. "Unlike some, I find fulfillment in duty."

Lucifer couldn't help but laugh at that, "Now _that_ is laughable. You and duty… don't mix. At least not in the conventional sense."

"I never said I was conventional."

"No, but you are the Malachi of Absolution and supposedly the greatest general and champion of humanity." Lucifer paced in front of her as if amused by the whole thing. Actually he was. "And you are the most beautiful thing. So full of self-loathing. Alistair prepared you well."

"And I gave him a nice thanks," she deadpanned.

"I know and Lenya is upset. She is even more pissed that you bested her as a four year old. You are impressive and I am tempted to take you up on your offer."

"Tempted?"

"Tempted but not convinced," Lucifer clarified. He watched her expression and noticed that it was a look that could be taken multiple ways and was confusing. "You see… I am tempted because you do fit the minimum requirements. You knew better than most that all of your monsters and freaks have similar bloodlines aka demon blood."

"Tell me about it." Angela gave that bland stare that Sam hated since it was adequate to convey dislike as well as a few others to hide her true feelings about everything.

Lucifer nodded, "But I know about the stunt you pulled with the werewolf cure. Big risk for one like you and most full blooded would never consider it."

"As you pointed out, I stick my neck out for people."

"Yes but you did almost die. Now that has me wonder if you are going to be so free with your life in the future."

Angela could have answered that but she didn't. It was true that she would risk her life for a stranger so that they may live but she had something worth fight for and it was new territory that had her scared but also determined and vaguely she acknowledged it as a dangerous combination. She was well acquainted with the concept of haste and haste leading to the grave. That was the first lesson she learned when she first died. Now it seemed that there were lines she was crossing and some she hadn't and she wasn't sure of which way to run.

Looking at Lucifer, she squared her shoulders and asked, "So what can I do to prove that I am not that foolish youth?" She asked the question in a rather mocking tone even though the experience itself was painful.

Lucifer looked at her and said, "I don't know. Do what you do." It sounded wishy-washy but… "Maybe it will be that I won't consider and just prefer Sam. He is my true vessel after all. But I will never hurt you."

"You're not the first to say that."

"But it's true," Lucifer replied with a slight pout. "You are the most beautiful creature in existence. The perfect being so to speak. Born of light and dark. One to walk the world alone and with the ability to unite and lead armies…" He looked at her with a grin. "You are unique my pretty."

Angela cleared her throat slightly at that. She hated that reference. She had hated it ever since Alistair started calling her that. Then Azazel picked up on it and used it. It made her uncomfortable that the other side… "You are not the first to say that to me and I am not impressed," she spat out, more to make it seem like she wasn't intimidated. She crossed her arms over her chest to emphasize her point and gave a pointed stare.

"Never thought you would be," Lucifer demurred in a near seductive manner. "But the things people say about you." He took a couple of steps closer until he was within an intimate distance. It was enough to make a mere mortal be uncomfortable. "Especially one who knows about you but hasn't had the opportunity to speak to you. I could make that happen you know. I know you have questions that are borderline why."

Angela maintained her composure though she felt the coolness emanating from the devil. It floated around as if in tendrils and tickled the hairs on her arms sending the shivers down her spine. She replied in a low voice, "There are a lot of things I have that the why question applies to. Doesn't mean that I want to hear it."

"I bet you do. And I am close to getting it."

"What do you want?" Angela knew it sounded a bit hasty but she figured it was better to steer the conversation to what she wanted it to be. She would deal with the consequences later.

"What I want… is you," Lucifer purred in her ear. He was standing behind her and had placed his hands on her arms to pin them to her sides. "I want you… your gift. I know you have what few hope to have and I want it."

"Can't have it."

"Don't play coy with me," Lucifer growled in her ear, "You just offered to be my vessel. In my view that means you are willing to turn yourself over to my side. That I take very seriously." He gripped her tight and whispered, "It will end as it is written but I will have you. That I promise." He then said something in another language.

Angela opened her eyes and found herself in her motel room. She looked around and sat up to look around. Nothing was out of place but she felt unease; unease about what just happened and what Lucifer said to her and about the fact that they needed to find Crowley and she wasn't looking forward to that. She looked at Cerebus who had taken to sharing her bed with her and found him looking at her with a worried expression. She rubbed his head as she thought about what she was going to do and muttered, "Trip down memory lane."

* * *

**A/N:** A dream within a dream and looks like Luci found someone new. And Angie now feels compelled to do something. Stay tuned for the next episode Asked and Answered...


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